May 18, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release
Racing Louisville on game day
(Racing Louisville FC)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Savannah DeMelo scored the second-latest goal in second-half stoppage time in NWSL history to dramatically earn a point Saturday night in a 3-3 draw against the first-place Current in front of a sellout crowd at CPKC Stadium.
DeMelo dribbled past two defenders and into the penalty area before tucking in a low right-footed shot just before the final whistle, almost 13 minutes into added time in a game that featured three lead changes and three ties.
“To experience that atmosphere, for everybody in the stands to be against you, it’s a crazy, crazy experience,” DeMelo said. “Just the fact that we came out and played the way we did – going up a goal, going down a goal, going down another goal, and coming back – it just shows what this team is made of. It’s going to be very, very hard to beat us. We’re just getting better and better.”
Racing Louisville (1-2-6, 9 points) has two more draws than any other team in the NWSL, but this result was the first time this season the Louisvillians came from behind to win a point. That it happened against the NWSL’s most potent offense in a packed, brand-new stadium, where Kansas City had previously won all four of its games with 15 total goals, only added to Louisville’s postgame joy.
Racing is now unbeaten in its last four regular-season games against Kansas City. DeMelo has four goals across all competitions against the Current, the most she has against any NWSL opponent.
“Incredibly proud of the group,” Racing coach Bev Yanez said. “It’s a massive point on the road against obviously a very good side. It was an incredibly relentless effort. As I said in the postgame speech, the group did that and accomplished that together. Everyone believed in that moment that we were continuing to fight and that we could get a result out of the game.”
The scoring opened in the 18th minute, when Emma Sears appeared to play a right-footed cross to the back post and it sailed over the head of KC goalkeeper AD Franch. Sears grinned when asked if she meant it.
“The majority of people would say I got lucky on that, but I have scored a goal like that in college,” said Sears, who starred at Ohio State and scored her second goal of the season. “Some may say it was lucky; I say the ball fell my way.”
Kansas City (6-0-4, 22 points) tied the game in first-half stoppage time on a penalty…