March 31, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Washington Spirit News Release
Louisville, Ky. – The Washington Spirit will face Racing Louisville FC Saturday afternoon in both clubs’ second match of the season. The match kicks off at 3:00 p.m. EST at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky and will broadcast on Paramount+ for fans across the United States and on NBC Sports Washington for viewers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. International viewers can stream the match on NWSLSoccer.com as well.
The Spirit
The Washington Spirit secured three points in a 1-0 season-opening victory against OL Reign off of a Trinity Rodman goal, the 11th NWSL regular season goal of her career. The strike from 25 yards out was the longest of Rodman’s professional career in any competition.
Saturday will be the seventh overall meeting between Washington and Louisville. The Spirit owns the series history 3-1-2, with a 2-0-1 home record and 1-1-1 road record. Washington has outscored Louisville 9-5 through six competitions, with forward Ashley Hatch scoring four goals in that time. Notably, defender Maddie Elwell scored her first career goal against Louisville last season. All Spirit players that have scored a goal against Racing Louisville FC – Elwell, Hatch, Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, Sam Staab and Andi Sullivan – are still currently tenured with the Spirit.
Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, coming off her 100th NWSL regular season appearance, is set to make her 100th career NWSL start on Saturday. Kingsbury was instrumental in last week’s victory over OL Reign, making four pivotal saves on the way to her 27th career clean sheet.
First-year players Civanna Kuhlmann, Paige Metayer and Lena Silano each made their NWSL debuts, with Metayer joining the Starting XI. Kuhlmann registered two shots, including one on target.
The Spirit looks to earn its first road victory since the 2021 NWSL Semifinal when the team defeated OL Reign 2-1. Following Saturday afternoon’s match, the Spirit will have two weeks before its next contest as the NWSL pauses for the April international window. The team will travel to North Carolina and New Jersey for two road matches on April 15 and 19, respectively.
The Opposition
Racing Louisville FC currently sits tied for sixth in the 2023 NWSL table following a 0-0 draw with Houston in the side’s season opener. Second-year coach Kim Björkegren saw five new players inserted into the starting lineup including former Courage stars Abby Erceg…