Feature by Caden Charpentier
As Racing Louisville vies for its first postseason appearance in club history, goalkeeper Katie Lund continues to deliver clutch performances when the stakes are highest.
“Katie is playing as one of the best goalkeepers in the league, in my opinion, right now,” said Racing forward Jannie Beckie after another standout Lund display in Utah this past Saturday. “She’s kept us in games – back-to-back-to-back games in the last couple of weeks.”
Lund has been a force for Racing in September, keeping Louisville in the hunt for a coveted playoff spot, just three points off the playoff cutline. She’s tallied 17 saves in four games this month, including three games with at least four, with 14 coming from inside the box, putting her second in the league.
Since joining the club via the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, Lund has made a habit of keeping opponents out of the net, starting with her breakout performance in The Women’s Cup final in 2021. Amid club changes over the past four years, she has been a constant, reliably showing up time and time again in her team’s most critical of moments.
The 27-year-old Lund joined the illustrious 250 career save club earlier this season. She is 12th all-time in career shutouts, with 16. And with Racing, she has played every minute of the past three seasons – the longest-running consecutive starts and minutes played stretch of any player in the NWSL.
“She’s definitely been a rock back there,” said Lauren Milliet, the other Racing player to have been with the team from the start with Lund. “Obviously the incredible saves kept us in a lot of games. It’s really cool to see her growth throughout the league, too, and how much experience she’s now brought in for our group.”
Lund’s 259 saves since the start of 2022 are the most by any NWSL goalkeeper, per Opta Stats. Only two other shot stoppers have eclipsed the 200-save mark over that stretch. She set the record for saves in a single season with 112 in 2022, and she is one of only two goalkeepers in NWSL history to surpass 87 saves in back-to-back campaigns.
Her bravery, leadership and clutch gene have woven themselves into Racing’s identity year after year. Her penalty saves and penalty conversion in that 2021 TWC final etched her name into the club’s young history.
Since then, Lund hasn’t looked back.
“Her ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable has been huge,” said Racing goalkeepers coach Sergio Gonzalez. “There were areas in her game that we sat down and talked about and said, ‘We want to improve here, here and here,’ and in order to do that you have to take yourself out of your comfort zone. A lot of people are not comfortable doing that. Her approach to training every day and going out and working hard knowing what she needs to get accomplished has helped her. Her openness to wanting to be coached and wanting to learn more about the position has really helped accelerate her growth.”
As the final four games play out in the 2024 season and Racing pursues a postseason berth, there’s no doubt Lund’s performance will be a key part to any successes.
“She’s up for save of the week every week,” said Beckie, “and there’s a reason for that. She’s a world-class goalkeeper, and I think she’s doing her job.”
