Their first season they finished in ninth place. Three years followed where they finished in the same spot. Ninth place just outside the NWSL postseason. But now for the first time in franchise history, Racing Louisville FC has broken through.
Over the weekend, the team beat Bay FC 1-0 which secured seventh place in the standings and their first postseason berth in franchise history.
Rookie Ella Hase, scored in the second half in front of her home crowd to secure the victory and put their organization in seventh place in standings.
It was their 10th win of the season that put them into the playoffs. The team this season has gone through many ups and downs and is in part a feel-good story for the NWSL.
National team player Savannah DeMelo went down several times throughout the season due to various health concerns. They had many players leave for national team allocation as well. These are just a few of the things they have had to overcome.
Racing Louisville will play the Washington Spirit this coming weekend
Before they secured their first playoff game, they had always come up short. In 2022, they finished as the runners up in the Challenge Cup but that was their only semi successful campaign. This season it seemed to finally come to together.
They did what many teams in the past have not which is hold a lead. The team had several games over the past few seasons that saw them score early but then concede either one or two late goals that cost them heavily in the standings.
Seven of their victories came with just a one-goal advantage
Now they can look towards the playoffs and will have a tough job on their hands to start their run. Playing the Washington Spirit could be a tall task but one that the team seems poised to take on.
They were fighting with the North Carolina Courage for the final spot and have been in playoff mood for the last few weeks. That should give them some momentum playing the Spirit.
In the final minute of the match against Bay FC, Racing head coach Bev Yanez made a subsitution. She put in striker Bethany Balcer. The striker spent time this past season taking a mental health break.
But now having her be on the field for the proudest moment for the organization was both symbolic and fitting. Now Balcer can only hope to push Racing Louisville FC to a deep playoff run.