Angel City Football Club Falls to Racing Louisville FC 1-3
September 25, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Angel City FC News Release
LOS ANGELES – Angel City FC fell 1-3 to Racing Louisville FC in their final home game of the season. Midfielder Savannah McCaskill scored for ACFC, while forward Kirsten Davis, midfielder Alex Chidiac, and forward Emina Ekic scored for Louisville.
Angel City got on the board first, in the 14th minute. Forward Jun Endo dribbled across the edge of the 18 to find space and shot with her right foot. The ball hit McCaskill and ricocheted into the near post, where keeper Katie Lund lunged for it and missed; the ball rolled under her and over the goal line.
In the 17th minute, Louisville had their best chance yet when Chidiac combined with midfielder Savannah DeMelo to overload the left side. DeMelo was in on goal but sent her shot directly to keeper DiDi Haračić for an easy save.
Racing had another shot in the 25th minute when forward Jessica McDonald crossed a ball in for forward Kirsten Davis, who was near the penalty spot, but Davis sent her header wide of the far post.
The home side had a near miss in the 32nd minute when a corner kick by forward Claire Emslie fell to midfielder Cari Roccaro, who got her head on the ball and put it on frame. Lund punched the ball up into the air, and it nearly landed in the goal, but defender Julia Lester was on the goal line and headed it back out, where Lund collected it.
As the game continued to go back and forth, Louisville got on the board in the 38th minute. After a turnover in the midfield, Davis ran onto a pass by DeMelo, cut left around defender Megan Reid, and slotted a left-footed shot neatly past Haračić.
It wasn’t long before Racing added another to gain the lead. In the 42nd minute, Angel City defender Paige Nielsen fouled midfielder Lauren Milliet in the box, and the center ref pointed at the penalty spot. Chidiac stepped forward to take the kick and buried it to the left, with Haračić diving to the right to put Louisville up a goal in the 43rd minute.
Angel City was on the front foot after the break, keeping Louisville largely on the defensive for much of the second half. Late in the half, the home team earned a flurry of corner kicks, putting three shots on target, but Lund kept them off the board.
In the 90th minute, Racing defender Emily Fox sprinted up the right and got around defender Allyson Swaby to send a cross into the box. Ekic was open on the weak side, settled the ball, and sent a hard left-footed shot inside the far post.
Angel City can still move into sixth place and make the playoffs with a win in their final game next weekend if North Carolina draws or loses in their final match. LA’s last in-season game is in Chicago next Sunday, October 2, at 3 p.m. PST.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
ACFC Midfielder Savannah McCaskill
On how the team is absorbing where they are after the loss:
“It’s really important for us to regroup as a team. That was our fifth game in two weeks, so it’s extremely important for everyone to digest this and then be able to move past it. It’s in the past, we can’t do anything about it.”
“We need to make sure that we get ourselves healthy and ready to go again. We still have a job to do. We’re going at it as if we need to go in on Sunday and get the win. We have to focus on ourselves and do whatever we can to go into Chicago healthy with everyone ready to go.”
On having to rely on another team’s destiny after being in control before tonight:
“At the end of the day, San Diego could lose on Saturday, and we could go and beat Chicago on Sunday, but it wouldn’t matter because they lost. We have to go at it as if San Diego is going to win, so we have to prepare like we’re going to go in and get a job done. We’re still in control of that.”
“This wasn’t our best performance as a team. That’s a really big learning moment for us as a club. When we are in these tough moments we have to show up and perform. We can’t rely on what we did in previous games.”
“Due to our performances, the last few games have been really good regardless of the result. Tonight we dropped it. As players we have to look into the mirror and see what we could have done better. That’s a really huge learning moment for us as players going forward in our careers.”
On being behind at halftime, and the mindset coming into the second half:
“We addressed the fact that it wasn’t our best performance defensively in the first half. We dominated on offense, and had really good combinations. We were keeping possession well, but we gave them opportunities. We weren’t getting the ball back well enough. We addressed that as a group going into the second half and knew that we had a job to do. We had to do whatever it took to try to get that job done. Ultimately, we weren’t able to do that, but everyone was willing to do whatever it took and whatever they could do to get the result.”
“No one gave up, which was really encouraging as a group and that’s who we are as a club. It’s really important to see in those moments that even though we go down by a goal or two, we were still fighting. We were still pushing as a collective and that’s really huge to take away.”
ACFC Head Coach Freya Coombe
On the turnaround for the next game:
“We need to take the lessons from this game and move forward quickly. We will focus on making sure that we do those things well in Chicago. We have two well-deserved rest days, which the players haven’t had in a long time.”
On game atmosphere:
“The fans are the best in the league by far. Not just in terms of the volume, but in terms of the quality and noise. Although the atmosphere makes it really difficult to get information onto the field at times, it’s because the fans provide such an amazing environment.”
“I’m so proud to be a part of the club with a fan base representing the community in the way that we do. It’s incredible. I have never been a part of a club with such an atmosphere with so much engagement. It’s not just on match day, it’s everyday. The passion is incredible, it’s infectious, and I really hope that continues next year.”
On team standards:
“I think there are standards the team has for themselves that are different from the standards that I set. The big thing is, the leaders within the team have been very clear in setting their standards, and that has even more weight when it’s coming from the player’s expectations. We have put in great performances this year because they met the standards and the values of the team.”
“We are the team that never gives up, and I think we revealed that tonight. It’s important for us when we come together as a team especially when the leadership is showcased from the players. They have been able to maintain that throughout the year and I am very proud of their participation and how they have led the team. Despite many ups and downs, we have faced adversity as a group, but we’ve never wavered from who we are as a team representing the club.”
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