Match Recap: Seattle Reign FC Earns Draw Against Racing Louisville FC

In front of the third largest standalone regular season attendance in club history, Seattle Reign FC drew 1-1 with Racing Louisville FC in the club’s annual Pride match presented by Starbucks. The Reign scored first from the penalty spot and held the lead until second half stoppage time, when Louisville found an equalizer. 

The match started in dramatic fashion, when Racing Louisville defender Arin Wright took forward Jordyn Huitema down in the box, giving the Reign a penalty kick. After the play was reviewed, it was determined that the initial yellow card issued to Wright would be changed to a red card and Racing was down to 10 players for the rest of the match. 

Reign FC forward Bethany Balcer stepped up to the spot to take the penalty kick and did not hesitate as she hit the ball low and hard into the right corner of the net to give the Reign the lead 10 minutes into the match and earn her fifth goal of the season. 

The Reign held the vast majority of possession following the goal and sharply connected to move up the field. Midfielders Ji and Quinn both fired off shots just before the 20 minutes mark of the match, but nothing got past Katie Lund in goal. 

Forward Tziarra King had a stellar opportunity in the 29th minute when she volleyed the ball on frame, but Lund got a glove to it to keep the Reign’s lead to one goal. Just before the end of the first half, a major collision in Seattle’s own 18-yard box between goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and Louisville’s Taylor Flint resulted in Louisville making a concussion sub just before halftime. 

After halftime, the Reign came back onto the field and continued to dominate possession. The team settled into the match, not applying as much pressure to the visitors as in the first half. The Reign still took seven shots through the second half, but none of the shots were directed on target. 

Deep into stoppage time, Racing Louisville found an equalizer. Lund served a ball into the box from a free kick and found the head of midfielder Jaelin Howell. Howell directed the ball toward the back post, where forward Reilyn Turner was making a run and capitalized on the opportunity. 

KEY TAKEWAYS: 

• NEW STARTING XI: Through all 14 games this season, Seattle Reign FC continues to utilize the depth of the squad, having not listed a replicated starting XI in 2024. Defender Sofia Huerta is the only player to start in all 14 games and to play every minute this season for a total of 1,260 minutes. 

•  BETHANY BALCER: Forward Bethany Balcer scored her fifth goal of the season and now has 33 regular-season goals in her career, the third-most goals in Reign FC history. The 27-year-old finished the match with one goal and two shots. 

• Balcer is the only player in the NWSL to score at least five goals in every season since 2019. 

•  SERIES: The draw brings the all-time series to 1W-1L-6D between the Reign and Racing Louisville FC. 

UP NEXT: The Reign travel to New Jersey to take NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday, June 30. Fans can tune in on ESPN 2, ESPN+ and EESPN Deportes. 

MATCH SUMMARY  

2024 NWSL Regular Season 

Seattle Reign FC 1 – 1 Racing Louisville FC 

Date/Time: Sunday, June 23, 3:00 p.m. PT  

Location: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington  

Weather: 67, mostly cloudy 

Scoring Summary  

SEA: Balcer – 10’ 

LOU: Turner – 90+7’  

Discipline   

SEA: Huitema – (Caution – 45+12') 

LOU: Wright – (Red Card – 9'), Flint – (Caution – 31') 

Lineups  

SEA: GK Dickey D Huerta, D Barnes (c) (Cook 74’), D McClernon, D Brown (Holmes 62’), M Fishlock, M Quinn (Stanton 86’), M Ji (Athens 90+4’), F King (Latsko 62’), F Balcer (62’ Van der Jagt), F Huitema 

Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, F Adames, M James-Turner 

Total Shots: 13 (Latsko – 3)  

Shots on Goal: 3 (Three tied with – 1)  

Fouls: 15 (Ji – 4)  

Offsides: 1 

Corner Kicks: 9 

Saves: 3 (Dickey – 3)  

LOU: GK Lund, D Milliet, D Pickett, D Wright, D Erceg, M DiGrande, M Flint (Jean 45’), M Howell (C), M DeMelo (Fischer 58’), F Sears (Goins 80’), F Bahr (Turner 58’) 

Unused substitutes:  F Motlhalo, D Pokorny, M Baggett, GK White 

Total Shots: 7 (Sears, Turner – 2)  

Shots on Goal: 4 (Four tied with – 1) 

Fouls: 7 (Flint, Fischer– 2)  

Offsides: 3 

Corner Kicks: 2 

Saves: 2 (Lund – 2)   

Player of the Match: Jess Fishlock 

Referee: Matthew Corrigan 

Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Ocampo 

Assistant Referee 2: Cameron Siler 

4th Official: Kaitlyn Trowbridge 

VAR: Alyssa Nichols 

AVAR: Benjamin Wooten