Sears scores twice in vital 3-1 win for Racing against Courage

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Emma Sears scored two goals and Racing Louisville defeated the North Carolina Courage 3-1 on Saturday night in the National Women's Soccer League.

The win improves the playoff hopes of seventh-place Racing (9-9-5), which opened up a four-point gap over the ninth-place Courage (7-9-7) with three matches left in the season. Louisville hasn't reached the playoffs since joining the NWSL in 2021.

In the only other NWSL match on Saturday night, the Portland Thorns also boosted their playoff credentials with a 2-1 home win over Bay FC.

After a scoreless first half in North Carolina, all four goals in the Racing-Courage match came across a 30-minute span in the second half.

Sears opened the scoring for Racing with a low strike into the corner of the goal in the 49th minute.

The Courage responded quickly, with Riley Jackson slinging a pin-point pass to Manaka Matsukubo to finish from close range in the 56th minute to make it 1-1.

Racing retook the lead in the 60th. Kayla Fischer scored from 16 yards out after Katie O'Kane intercepted a pass from Courage goalkeeper Marisa Jordan.

Sears got her second of the night in the 79th, slamming in a knocked-down header on the volley from inside the box.

Sears has now scored a career-high 10 goals in 2025. The second-year winger out of Ohio State is also the first Racing player to reach double figures for goals in a single NWSL season.

Olivia Moultrie scored twice and the Portland Thorns came from behind to defeat visiting Bay FC.

Watching on in the stands at Providence Park was former Thorns and Canada player Christine Sinclair, who was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.

The win boosts the playoff credentials of the Thorns (9-7-7), who move up to fourth in the standings and are now level on points with third place Gotham FC.

Bay (4-12-7) was been eliminated from playoff contention.

Bay took a first half lead through Taylor Huff's goal from the edge of the box in the 36th minute. The outstretched glove of Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold prevented Alyssa Malonson from making it 2-0 from 11 yards out in the 39th.

Moultrie got the Thorns level in the 51st with a low shot past Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz.

The 20-year-old Thorns midfielder then deftly curled a direct free-kick around the Bay wall and just inside the post to make it 2-1 in the 69th. It was her first career two-goal game.

Moultrie has now scored a career-high six goals in 2025, with two coming from direct free-kicks.

M.A. Vignola made her debut for the Thorns, playing 72 minutes after earning the start at left-back. Vignola was traded to Portland from Angel City last Tuesday in exchange for Hina Sugita and $600,000.

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