September 14, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release
Racing Louisville FC celebrates win
(Racing Louisville FC)
Bethany Balcer and Janine Beckie scored their first goals for Racing Louisville, powering their new team to a vital 2-1 come-from-behind triumph over Angel City FC at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday night.
Balcer converted her first goal in Racing colors in the 26th minute, tying the game only eight minutes after Angel City took the lead. Beckie capitalized on an Angel City error in the 68th minute to score the go-ahead goal, and her team sat in and defended its lead to cement its first comeback win of the 2024 season.
“I know I spoke a lot in pregame about perspective,” said Yanez, who called the win “gutsy” and “gritty.” “I dropped simply that word in. We have to acknowledge and take into account that our past is not who we are. We have learned. We have grown. We have become better. We have become stronger because of how the season has played out so far early on and that those aren’t a reflection of who we are today. So, taking those learnings and taking a perspective into this game of, ‘This is who we are. And if this is who we want to be, I need to put in a performance for 90-plus (minutes).’ And I think the group stuck together in every aspect.”
This was the exact result Yanez’s squad needed, keeping Racing alive in the chase for the first-ever postseason berth in the club’s short history. With the victory, Racing (5-8-7, 22 points) leapfrogged Angel City and Seattle Reign FC into ninth place and climbed within three points of Bay FC, which occupies the final playoff spot with six matches left in the season.
The Louisvillians, who are set to compete against top-six opposition in four of its last six regular season contests, own the first tiebreaker, goal differential, over the two clubs ahead in the standings.
Angel City (6-11-3, 21 points) started on the front foot, with Meggie Dougherty Howard knocking in a rebound in the 18th minute. Before Saturday’s result, the Los Angeles club had a 6-1-2 record when scoring first.
Louisville had an immediate response. Balcer showed why she is one of the league’s top goal scorers since her rookie season in 2019, heading in Ary Borges’s pinpoint pass after gorgeous one-touch link play between Taylor Flint, Savannah DeMelo and Borges.
It was Balcer’s 14th headed goal in her professional career, tying former Racing forward Jess McDonald for the second-most in league…