Spirit ease past Racing Louisville to close in on top of NWSL | OneFootball

Two first-half goals saw the Washington Spirit down Racing Louisville, who have won just one of their opening nine NWSL games.

Scorers: DeMelo 45+6′ ; Bethune 5′, Milliet 34′ (OG)

It was a horror start for Racing Louisville as Croix Bethune struck in just five minutes to give the Spirit an early lead away from home, and make history at the same time.

To make matters worse for Louisville, Savannah DeMelo missed a chance to level the score from the penalty spot just 15 minutes before a Lauren Milliet own-goal in the just past the half-hour mark gifted the visitors their second of the night.

While it looked like a half to forget from Louisville, the hosts found a way back into the game when DeMelo righted her earlier wrong, scoring deep into first-half stoppage time from a free-kick to cut the deficit.

Despite a late Louisville push, Washington held on to pull level on points with NWSL leaders KC Current.