Racing Louisville Draw with Rapinoe lead OL Reign
Racing Louisville FC and OL Reign draw 2-2 in a gut-wrenching match that saw the hosts took the lead early and dominated the first half. The excitement was shortlived as the visitors rallied back and leveled the game in the final minutes.
Racing Louisville got off to a flying start, scoring a goal in the seventh minute through Paige Monaghan, who scored her first goal for the club. Racing added another goal just before halftime through Savannah DeMelo, who scored a stunning 20-yard screamer. DeMelo’s goal was her fourth from outside the box in her career, making her the player with the most goals in regular-season play since her debut in 2022.
Racing Louisville continued to play well in the second half but was dealt a blow when OL Reign’s Megan Rapinoe converted a penalty in the 69th minute to halve the hosts’ lead. Four minutes later, DeMelo received her second yellow card and was sent off, leaving Racing Louisville to defend for much of the final 20 minutes. OL Reign took advantage of their numerical advantage, and Jordyn Huitema headed in the equalizer in the 90th minute, denying Racing Louisville a much-needed win.
Despite the disappointment of conceding a late goal, Racing Louisville’s players were pleased with their overall performance, with team captain Jaelin Howell acknowledging that it was one of the team’s best games as a club. However, Howell admitted that the team needed to finish solid performances and convert their chances into goals.
Racing Louisville has now avoided defeat in their last six matches when scoring the opening goal, and the draw extends their home unbeaten run to four matches. The team will look to build on their promising start to the season, and turn draws into wins as they continue their quest for a playoff spot.
Paige Monaghan was named Player of the Match for her goal and overall performance, which helped Racing Louisville dominate the first half.
The match was played at the Lynn Family Stadium in front of a crowd of 6,185 fans.