Sweet Victory
On Tuesday night, midfielder Jaelin Howell was adamant that Racing Louisville was close to a win.
“We’re so ready,” said Howell. “We can feel it. We can feel it coming. We’ve been feeling it coming. We know we have a great squad and each game keeps getting better and better.”
Howell’s instincts proved right when Racing Louisville topped the first-place San Diego Wave 1-0 on Wednesday night in Louisville. A free kick by Savannah DeMelo from 27 yards out curled just beyond the reach of Wave keeper Kailen Sheridan. This was rookie DeMelo’s first professional goal although she’s been banging on the door in recent games. Even more impressive is that Canadian national team Olympic gold medalist Sheridan is widely considered to be one of the best in the world. DeMelo’s goal was only the second scored on the Wave all season and it was impressive enough that it made ESPN’s SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays the next morning.
Bang 💥
Leading off @SportsCenter’s Top 10: @Savannah_DeMelo’s set piece goal. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dTN2Jr7nnZ
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) May 19, 2022
“You can see the fighting spirit,” said coach Kim Björkegren after the match. “Everybody supports. It doesn’t matter if you play 90 minutes or if you play two minutes or if you play no minutes at all. Everybody’s there to support and I’m really proud of this group.”
The win was especially sweet after Covid concerns removed multiple starters from Racing’s lineup and canceled group practice sessions. As in their draw last Saturday against the Houston Dash, Racing was forced to adjust on the fly and lean on their bench to perform. And perform they did. For the second match in a row, defenders Addisyn Merrick and Erin Simon were instrumental in Racing earning a result.
According to defender and co-captain Emily Fox, they learned on short notice that they’d be starting. But, in a testament to their skill, she didn’t think anyone…
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