March 31, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Racing Louisville FC News Release
Racing Louisville FC is set to host its home opener for the 2023 campaign at 3 p.m. Saturday, taking on the Washington Spirit at Lynn Family Stadium.
Racing (0-0-1, 1 point) started the season on the road, battling to a 0-0 draw in an entertaining affair at Houston. Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund was the player of the match, making seven saves and recording her seventh career shutout. Seven players made their Racing debuts, including Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges and Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu, who both narrowly missed goals in their first appearance with Louisville.
Saturday’s contest is the first of two meetings between Racing and the Spirit this season, with the return game in the nation’s capital on the docket for June 3. Racing is 1-3-2 all-time against the Spirit, including two draws last season. Louisville’s first NWSL regular-season win in franchise history came against Washington on May 21, 2021.
Washington won its season opener last weekend, topping OL Reign, 1-0, thanks to a goal from star forward Trinity Rodman. The win snapped the Spirit’s three-game losing streak that ended last season. Built around Rodman and fellow U.S. Women’s National Team players Ashley Hatch, Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan, Washington is playing for a new coach in Mark Parsons, who previously coached the Portland Thorns to the 2017 NWSL title.
The matchup Saturday marks the third regular-season home opener at Lynn Family Stadium for Racing. The inaugural NWSL home opener in 2021 ended in a 0-0 draw with Kansas City, and Racing tied Houston, 1-1, in the regular-season home opener last year.
Follow along…
– For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. Also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
– The game will stream live on Paramount+ in the United States (commentators: Maura Sheridan and Tony Meola) and for free on NWSLSoccer.com internationally.
Story lines…
The captain: Star midfielder Jaelin Howell was named the club captain, an illustration of the 23-year-old’s influence in Racing’s locker room as she starts her second year in Louisville. A two-time national player of year and two-time national champion as a collegiate standout at Florida State, Howell hit the ground running at Racing in her rookie year, starting every game in 2022 and finishing second in the league among first-year players in…