Racing Louisville FC

Parker Goins celebrates a goal with her Racing Louisville FC teammates during a 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars.

 Daniel Bartel

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Four days after lamenting missed chances that led to the end of a winning streak, Racing Louisville FC finished two opportunities for goals to start one.

The club moved to 2-0 in the NWSL Challenge Cup with a 2-0 victory Wednesday night over the Chicago Red Stars. Louisville now has six points to lead the central division of the Challenge Cup.

"I think it's really important for us," Racing Louisville FC head coach Kim Björkegren said. "We really want to play in the semifinal and we felt the two important games with the Kansas City home game, and then the game here in Chicago, we are in a good situation. Now, we have everything in our own hands."

Performances like Wednesday night's would surely help the club keep control of its own Cup destiny. Louisville outshot Chicago, 17-7, and handily won the possession battle, keeping the pressure on with 10 shots inside the box. The scoring finally started in the 44th minute when Jaelin Howell forced a turnover, Paige Monaghan attacked and found Uchenna Kanu for her first goal as a Racing Louisville FC player.

"Scoring my first goal today, it's amazing," Kanu said. "And I think I'm looking forward to scoring more goals. It's one at a time. I'm really happy."

The promising Nigerian admitted it has been an adjustment for her to get used to the NWSL's style of play. But this latest performance was her best yet, tying for the team lead in shots and finally finding the back of the net.

"The league is a big change for me," Kanu said. "It's really a transition league. It's really fast and competitive. And I think I am competitive. I'm up to the task. I just need a little bit of time to get my goals and get going with our play."

Racing continued to control the match in the second half while using five substitutions. Kanu almost had a second goal before coming close to finding Thembi Kgatlana for another one. Finally, Parker Goins looped in a header off of a Savannah DeMelo free kick in the 71st minute to give Louisville a comfortable 2-0 lead.

"When I go out there, they said to just work hard," Goins said after scoring her second goal of the season. "And that's what I did. I was lucky to just put one away."

Louisville has now won four out of its past five matches across all competitions. The club started the season winless through six matches before winning three games in a row for the first time in its short history. Racing thinks bouncing back from a loss on a short turnaround can help sustain some momentum.

"Just having the feeling of what it feels like to win really helps," Kanu said. "It helps us a lot to be able to keep that mentality. Coming back four days after a loss and getting another win today, it's really huge for the team."

"We've been doing really well," Goins added. "We had the setback against North Carolina. But all the girls have been showing up and we've been able to rotate some players."

A major test awaits June 3 as Louisville visits the Washington Spirit in a return to regular-season action. Washington sits six points ahead of Racing in the NWSL regular-season standings, occupying a playoff spot in fifth place.

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