Match Recap: Angel City 1, Racing Louisville FC 2 | 9.14.24

Angel City lost 1–2 on the road tonight to Racing Louisville FC following goals by Louisville forwards Bethany Balcer and Janine Beckie. ACFC midfielder Meggie Dougherty-Howard scored for the visitors.

After a relatively uneventful opening to the game, Angel City opened the scoring in the 18th minute, when forward Alyssa Thompson intercepted a pass by Louisville defender Abby Erceg. Thompson burst forward and sent a diagonal ball to forward Claire Emslie, whose shot was blocked by goalkeeper Katie Lund. Dougherty-Howard was lurking centrally in the box and slotted the rebounded ball away inside the far post. The goal was Dougherty-Howard’s first for Angel City. 

Just a minute later, Thompson had a look of her own when Emslie played a ball over the top that the 19-year-old sprinted onto. She took a right-footed crack from inside the box, which went just high.

Much of the rest of the half was a back-and-forth, transition-heavy affair, with neither team maintaining control of the midfield. In the 26th minute, Louisville capitalized on one of those transitions. Midfielder Ary Borges lofted a diagonal ball over the top for forward Bethany Balcer, who was hovering near Angel City’s back line. Balcer jumped to beat her mark to the ball and headed the ball into the back of the net to level the score.

Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haračić made a big save in the 34th minute when defender Courtney Petersen fired off a rocket from the left edge of the 18. Haračić got one glove on the ball to deflect it out for a corner kick.

The remainder of the half saw few real chances from either side, and the teams headed into the locker rooms level after five minutes of stoppage time.

The visitors came out of the break swinging, with Lund making several impressive saves to keep them off the board. The first came in the 54th minute when midfielder Katie Zelem served a lofted ball diagonally into the box for defender Madison Curry, who put her header on target—but Lund blocked it out for a corner.

In the 58th minute, Lund came up big again after Thompson dribbled past Petersen to send a pass to Dougherty-Howard in the box; Dougherty-Howard’s attempt was on frame, but the goalkeeper again saved.

Louisville gained the lead in the 68th minute. Forward Janine Beckie intercepted a pass in Angel City’s defensive third, sprinted forward and beat her mark, and fired an angled right-footed shot into the back of the net.

Angel City continued to push for a goal for the remainder of the game. They came close in the 71st minute when defender M.A. Vignola cut in off the left wing and took a hard shot from the edge of the 18. Lund made the stop yet again.

ACFC plays again next Monday, September 23 at home against Portland Thorns. The 7:00 p.m. game will be broadcast locally on Bally Sports and elsewhere on CBS Sports Network. Tickets are available here.