LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With just four games left in its regular season, Racing Louisville FC can't afford to waste points in pursuit of the club's first-ever NWSL playoff spot.
Louisville is currently two points behind the Washington Spirit for the sixth and final NWSL playoff berth. Just six points separate the first-place and eighth-place teams in the league.
Racing welcomes the Houston Dash on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., a game head coach Kim Björkegren calls one of the biggest in the team's short history.
"We do know that it could be a knockout game," Racing Louisville FC midfielder Kayla Fischer said. "But if we play with that kind of pressure on our backs, I don't think that we perform the way that we can.
"With Portland coming in, we really had nothing to lose. And that game, we performed really well. So, I think if we keep that mentality, we perform better as a group. And I think that's kind of been the vibe in the locker room."
"It is a really, really important game," Björkegren said. "We know it's going to be tough. We've had really close games against them."
This will be the fourth matchup this season between Louisville and Houston, but just the second regular season game. The two sides played to a scoreless draw to open the year while splitting two Challenge Cup matches.
Houston is now playing with an interim coach leading. Sarah Lowdon takes over as interim head coach following the club's dismissal of former head coach Sam Laity.
"They have changed their style," Björkegren said. "We don't know their formation and how they will start. But at the end of the day, we need to focus on ourselves and make sure we do everything to bring in another three points and work hard to make the playoffs."
Racing has surely been tested lately in its postseason chase. The club recently played three of the top four teams in the standings: the Portland Thorns (home regular season win), OL Reign (away Challenge Cup semifinal win) and the North Carolina Courage (away Challenge Cup final loss).
Playing those three games within a week took its toll on a team already dealing with injury issues. Fatigue definitely played a factor towards the end of that stretch.
"Do I think we can do things better? Yes," Björkegren said. "But I also need to respect the fact that we had players that couldn't play.
"I don't know if I can expect my team be in the same shape like normal. We did our best, but it wasn't enough."
"It was exhausting," Racing Louisville FC defender Elli Pikkujämsä said. "But also, I think everyone is so professional."
"A break would be nice, but at the same time, it's our job," Fischer said. "And this is what we love to do.
"I think it's definitely an adjustment. But I think we've done a great job of sticking together and not letting the fatigue get to us."
It remains to be seen who will be available to play for Racing. Club captain and defensive midfielder Jaelin Howell has been dealing with a hip injury. She has not played since August 19 and Björkegren said even if she is available for Friday, she will not start.
Pikkujämsä, whose natural position is center back, has stepped up to play Howell's role in her absence. Her coaches and teammates believe the Finnish standout has consistently stepped up in whatever position she has been asked to play.
Courtesy of NWSL LCC/Georgia Soares
"Elli is someone that I look up to," Fischer said. "And I think she's always ready when the opportunity knocks."
"I'm kind of used to it," Pikkujämsä, who mentioned she has played multiple positions for Finland's national team, said. "But of course, it's always a different position. I'll try to do the best I can and get as much info as I can when playing a different position."
She said Howell has helped her too with advice on how to play in the defensive midfield. But Pikkujämsä has proven to be a solid find for Louisville in her first NWSL season.
"I think I've grown a lot," Pikkujämsä said. "And what I came to get from this league, I feel like I'm getting. I feel like every game, I'm getting more and more used to the tempo and the way of playing in this league."
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