Racing Louisville FC 2-1 Chicago Stars FC
Racing Louisville FC turned a tight, scoreless first half into a vital 2-1 National Women’s Soccer League win over Chicago Stars FC on Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium, with Mirann Gacioch and Kayla Fischer providing the decisive second-half goals.
Neither side could find a breakthrough before the interval, although Chicago’s Leila Ouahabi was booked in the 40th minute. The Stars controlled much of the ball, finishing with 62.8 percent possession, but Louisville were the more assertive side in the key attacking moments.
The home side broke through in the 55th minute when Mirann Gacioch powered home a header to give Racing the lead. Louisville quickly built on that momentum seven minutes later, as Kayla Fischer made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute.
Chicago refused to fold and found a route back into the match through Nádia Gomes, who scored in the 80th minute to set up a tense finish. Racing, however, saw out the closing stages and the extended stoppage time to secure all three points.
Louisville finished with 17 shots and seven corners despite seeing less of the possession, while both teams registered three shots on target. In front of 5,148 supporters, Racing made their second-half pressure count and held firm after Chicago’s late push.
Goals: Mirann Gacioch 55′, Kayla Fischer 62′ (Racing Louisville FC); Nádia Gomes 80′ (Chicago Stars FC).
