-
Jeff Kassouf
Racing Louisville FC secured its first-ever playoff berth in the NWSL on Sunday after a 1-0 win against Bay FC, breaking a streak of four consecutive ninth-place finishes.
Ella Hase netted the only goal just three minutes into the second half, which was vital for Louisville given the other match results on the same day.
Heading into NWSL Decision Day, both Louisville and North Carolina were in contention for the eighth and final playoff slot. Louisville needed a win against Bay FC, especially since North Carolina had a favorable goal difference, the primary tiebreaker. The North Carolina Courage emerged victorious against Gotham FC with a score of 3-2 in a concurrent match.
Head coach Bev Yanez mentioned that she was somewhat aware of the Courage’s scoreline. She instructed her team not to update her during the match, although her curiosity got the better of her at halftime when they were trailing in ninth place.
“It was the biggest factor. I reminded the squad multiple times that they put themselves in this situation. We can control what we can control,” Yanez stated. “We’re not depending on others to dictate our path into the playoffs. We did it ourselves. I’m incredibly proud of this group.”
Previously, Racing Louisville had finished ninth for four consecutive seasons since joining the NWSL in 2021.
As a result of their win, Louisville climbed to seventh place and will face the Washington Spirit in the quarterfinals next week. Meanwhile, Gotham, the 2023 NWSL champions, had a shot at hosting a quarterfinal but dropped to the No. 8 seed and will meet the top-seeded Kansas City Current in the upcoming quarterfinals.
North Carolina led 3-0 until the 87th minute, when Gotham struck twice late in the game. A late equalizer from Gotham could have moved them to sixth place.
Seven of the eight playoff positions were secured before Sunday’s matches, with Kansas City and the Spirit confirmed as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. However, the positions from three through eight, along with the final playoff spot were up for grabs, leading to six of the seven Sunday matches starting simultaneously.
The Portland Thorns climbed to the No. 3 seed with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dash. The three-time champions will take on the No. 6 seed, the San Diego Wave, in a quarterfinal after the latter’s 2-1 loss to Kansas City in the only early match on Sunday.
The defending champion Orlando Pride secured the No. 4 seed with a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Reign. They will meet again in Orlando for their quarterfinal clash next week.
The NWSL Championship is scheduled for Nov. 22 at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
With the season now concluded, Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga is confirmed as the NWSL Golden Boot winner for the second consecutive year. However, she missed Sunday’s match due to an adductor injury and is questionable for the playoffs.
Chawinga scored 15 goals in 23 games this season, following her record-setting 20 goals last year when she also won both the MVP and Golden Boot awards. Gotham FC’s Esther Gonzalez trailed her with 13 goals but also sat out Sunday’s match due to a hip injury.
Kansas City broke records this season for points (65), wins (21), and goals against (13).