Racing Louisville Gets Edged Out the Portland Thorns

“An Unfortunate Result”

Racing Louisville’s winless streak extended to seven when they were edged out 2-1 by the Portland Thorns on Friday. Despite the disappointing result, it was another hard-fought match for Louisville. After conceding a goal in the 7th minute, Racing was able to settle into the game shortly after. In the 29th minute, Racing found the equalizer when Alex Chidiac charged down the end line, charged past a Thorns defender, and toe-poked in a shot past the near post from an almost impossible angle.

In the second half, Racing came out on the front foot and looked to be the better team for the first 20 or so minutes. In the 73rd minute, however, a shot from the Thorns was blocked but not collected by keeper Katie Lund. Hina Sugita was left unmarked and collected the rebound and scored virtually unopposed before Lund could get back on her feet. Although Racing had several good chances, including shots from Jessica McDonald, Jaelin Howell, and Emily Fox, they were unable to find the equalizer and the match ended 2-1.

“Right now, the only thing we want is three points, so we are disappointed today,” said coach Kim Björkegren after the match. “They are fighting, and we played against a good team. They are doing their best. There are details we need to be better at and still, there are way too many second-chance goals, so it’s about having a better reading of the game but also small details.”

Regardings Racing’s string of winless games, goal-scorer Chidiac admitted it was tough for the team. Still, she said the team is still learning from each game and said the locker room remains positive.

“The team is really, really close,” she said. “A lot of people from the outside probably don’t realize that, and they think these results are breaking us. But sometimes that’s football. We’re going to get the results. We definitely feel that. It’s probably good for us that you’ve got two more games coming up really soon because we can rectify this loss.”

This match saw center back Satara Murray get her first minutes for Racing. She just returned from a successful stint helping Jamaica qualify for the World Cup in the Concacaf W Championship. Of her debut, Murray said, “Obviously Portland is a really good side. I knew it was going to be difficult coming in. I feel honored and happy to get an opportunity to start – hopefully more to come. It’s an unfortunate result, obviously, but I think we can continue to keep…