It was by no means pretty, but Racing Louisville scrapped its way to the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup final with a 1-0 win over OL Reign in Seattle on Wednesday night.
Kirsten Davis netted the game-winning goal in the 28th minute, and that was all Racing needed to reach its first NWSL-sponsored cup final in club history, holding firm defensively in the second half to see through the victory.
Racing Louisville will take on the North Carolina Courage at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday in the Challenge Cup final at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The match will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
“In the end, it’s just about fighting spirit and working so hard to make sure we play in the final,” Racing coach Kim Björkegren said. “They did an amazing job – all of them. I’m really proud of the group.”
It has been a history-making season for Racing, a young club in only its third year of existence. Louisville already has more points in the regular season than its first two years – with four games left in the campaign. And Wednesday’s win marked Racing’s first knockout stage win in an NWSL tournament.
After a cagey start, Davis pounced on one of Racing’s only opportunities of the game and made it count. A misplayed restart from OL Reign defender Sam Hiatt landed right at Davis’s feet 20 yards from goal. With one defender to beat, Davis pushed the ball to her right foot and slotted home the game-winner with a low shot to the far post.
The goal was the first time a team scored against OL Reign in seven Challenge Cup games.
To secure a spot in the final, Racing then needed a stout defensive performance. OL Reign outshot Racing, 16-6, but only managed two shots on target. The Seattle club made 77 final-third entries to Racing’s 43 and played 28 crosses into Louisville’s penalty area. But Björkegren’s bunch “defended our hearts out,” defensive midfielder Elli Pikkujämsä said.
Another sterling goalkeeping display from Katie Lund engineered the effort. The 26-year-old goalkeeper registered her fourth shutout of the Challenge Cup and her 10th this year across all competitions, making two saves and controlling the pace of the game in its late stages.
Wearing the captain’s arm band in place of the injured Jaelin Howell, center back Abby Erceg was immense, totaling 10 clearances while winning two aerial duels and making one interception. Fellow center back Julia Lester added five clearances and two tackles won.
“I’m really happy for the team – it was a gritty performance,” Lund said. “We stuck together. We put our bodies on the line to block shots and keep things out of the way. I couldn’t be happier for us and the way we played. We’ve been through a lot, and this shows we have the grit and the fight and we can win in this league.”
Game Summary: Racing Louisville FC at OL Reign
2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinal
Date: Sept. 6, 2023
Venue: Lumen Field
Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET
Weather: 70 degrees, partly cloudy, slight breeze
Player of the Match: Kirsten Davis
Scoring
Racing Louisville (1, 0, 1)
OL Reign (0, 0, 0)
Goals
Racing Louisville:
28’ Kirsten Davis
Lineups
Racing Louisville FC (4-3-3): 1 – Katie Lund; 2 – Lauren Milliet, 15 – Julia Lester, 20 – Abby Erceg (c), 25 – Rebecca Holloway; 4 – Elli Pikkujämsä, 7 – Savannah DeMelo, 8 – Ary Borges; 5 – Paige Monaghan (64’ 17 – Maddie Pokorny), 22 – Kirsten Davis (88’ 29 – Uchenna Kanu), 11 – Thembi Kgatlana (78’ 10 – Nadia Nadim)
Subs not used: 18 – Hillary Beall; 3 – Zaneta Wyne, 6 – Jaelin Howell, 9 – Kayla Fischer, 13 – Emina Ekic, 21 – Parker Goins
Head Coach: Kim Björkegren
OL Reign (4-3-3): 18 – Laurel Ivory; 11 – Sofia Huerta, 17 – Sam Hiatt (c), 25 – Shae Holmes, 21 – Phoebe McClernon; 6 – Angelina (66’ 2 – Emily Sonnett), 7 – Nikki Stanton (78’ 10 – Jess Fishlock), 33 – Olivia Van der Jagt; 24 – Veronica Latsko, 34 – Elyse Bennett (66’ 9 – Jordyn Huitema), 23 – Tziarra King (77’ 15 – Megan Rapinoe)
Subs not used: 91 – Phallon Tullis-Joyce; 3 – Lu Barnes, 4 – Alana Cook, 12 – Olivia Athens, 22 – Ryanne Brown
Head Coach: Laura Harvey
Stats Summary: Racing Louisville / OL Reign
Shots: 6 / 16
Shots on Goal: 2 / 2
Expected goals: 0.62 / 1.05
Possession: 47.8% / 52.2%
Fouls: 12 / 12
Offside: 1 / 4
Corner Kicks: 2 / 6
Discipline Summary
Racing Louisville:
34’ Rebecca Holloway (yellow)
62’ Thembi Kgatlana (yellow)
Referee: Natalie Simon
VAR: Kevin Broadley
