Racing Louisville came back from 2-0 down to force a 2-all draw versus Washington Spirit on Saturday.
A game of two halves ensued in Kentucky as Washington surged ahead in the opening stanza before Louisville fought back with goals in the 46th and 56th minutes.
Dominant in the initial stages, the hosts had midfielder Savannah DeMelo and forward Uchenna Kanu heavily involved in their side’s attacking momentum.
Ashley Hatch scored the first goal of her brace against the run of play in the 16th minute off a perfectly weighted cross from defender Dorian Bailey. The goal gave Washington more impetus with Trinity Rodman forcing a fine save from Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund moments later. A second goal for Ashley Hatch in the 32nd minute clamed the nerves for Washington after Louisville threatened to pull a goal back. A pass from teammate Rodman found Hatch clear on goal and the double-scorer made no mistake, rolling her effort home to give Washington some breathing space going to the break.
The second-half started with Louisville on the front foot. The home side pulled one back courtesy of a header from defender Abby Erceg following a Wang Shuang corner kick. Newcomer Ary Borges scored a beautiful goal from inside the box to draw the game level in the 65th minute.
Midfielder Paige Metayer, who had been booked for a challenge in the 83rd minute, was then shown a second yellow card to leave the home side a player down for the remainder of the match.
