Racing Louisville FC fights for gritty 1-1 draw at Seattle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - There are games that are pure gut checks. You learn about your team in ways you probably don't want to.

Nine minutes into a road match that followed back-to-back losses, Racing Louisville FC was thinking of nothing but how to survive.

Defender Arin Wright was sent off with a red card. Seattle Reign FC took an early 1-0 lead on a Bethany Balcer penalty kick. And Racing faced a harsh reality before even losing arguably its best player in Taylor Flint for the match to a head injury: Playing almost an entire match while being a goal down and a player down.

"I don't think we probably expected that to happen," Racing midfielder Marisa DiGrande said. "But it happens and you have to move forward. And we did exactly that."

Somehow, the visitors stayed within striking distance, remaining a goal down almost all game. And in the final minutes of stoppage time, goalkeeper Katie Lund launched a free kick that found the forehead of captain Jaelin Howell, who passed it in the box to a sprawling rookie in Reilyn Turner. Turner went full extension, took a hard hit to the ribs that sent her to tears and still got just enough of the ball with an outstretched foot to find the back of the net for a much-needed 1-1 road draw.

"I was crying in the moment from pain, but it's a great feeling overall to be able to be there at the right time," Turner said with a laugh.

"They showcased a lot of areas from a mentality perspective to a commitment perspective to a belief perspective," Louisville head coach Bev Yanez said. "You can list as many words as you possibly can."

"Anyone who steps in is going to fight for this team and fight for this club," DiGrande said. "And that's exactly what I keep saying, I'm so proud."

As the NWSL table tightens, being able to avoid coming back to Louisville without a point while overcoming a great deal of adversity is not just promising for Racing in the manner of having sole possession of the league's last playoff spot. Additionally, it proved some of the resolve we have seen in other late-game situations is an actual staple of this group.

"It builds confidence because obviously late in the game, you're fighting and you're fighting and you're fighting," Turner said. "And it kind of gives us security moving forward, that we know what we can do in the last minutes of the game. We know how we can adjust to adversity and overcome that."

"I think it just shows the growth from the beginning of the season to now and just fighting for every single minute, something that we talked about coming into this game," DiGrande said.

What was also discussed was how Racing needed to run out to a better start. But when Wright got a hand on Jordyn Huitema's shoulder and pulled the forward down to end her night early, a nightmare start emerged instead. Louisville knew it had to quickly adjust its mentality while being at a personnel and score disadvantage, so Yanez switched to a 4-4-1 formation and emphasized careful pressure in wide channels to still occasionally trap Seattle.

"I think it shows a lot of growth from the group in the sense of their willingness and understanding of what the scenario needed," Yanez said. "It needed a lot of energy and it needed a lot of organization. And they were searching for the information very quickly to move on. They didn't hang their heads on the scenario, they dealt with the scenario and they dealt with it the best that they could."

Lund continued to make key stops as Racing found its footing over the course of the match. The club gradually saw more space and stayed aggressive, with Howell being a centerpiece in that. This was the defensive midfielder's first start since April 28 and Louisville's leader did not miss a minute while displaying her usual physicality and ability to push her teammates.

"It's incredible," DiGrande said of Howell. "She brings such a presence not only playing, but just her leadership. And it was great to have her out there.

"She got the assist and put her body on the line. And that's what she's going to do. She's our captain, she's our leader. She's going to do whatever she can to help this team and that's what you want as your captain."

"She was very combative in the midfield, competing for first and second balls," Yanez said. "Her energy, her bravery, her breakup play and her ability to kind of create a tempo for us, specifically without the ball, and kind of just keep us in that belief, that was really fantastic from her today."

Of course, the forward Howell found with her forehead put her body on the line too. Turner now has three goals as a pro, none bigger than this latest thriller.

"She just has a very natural knack to score goals," Yanez said. "It's very innate in her that she wants to be a goal scorer. She wants to do everything she can: She wants to leave her feet, she wants to extend her body as far as it possibly can to get a ball on frame. And I think she showcased that incredibly well tonight in her one moment. And goal scorers, they make the most of that one moment."

"I can speak for a lot of players on this team when I say have the mentality that the game is never over," Turner said. "And you can always do something. There's never not enough time to make an impact."

Even if you are down a goal and a player with practically an entire game to go.

"It has been a tough week for us," Turner said. "And bouncing back from two losses in a row is definitely a momentum shift for us as a team moving forward into our next game."