Sears brace powers Louisville to second straight win

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sears brace powers Louisville to second straight win

Originally posted on The Equalizer | Last updated Aug 8, 2026 11:03 AM ET

Racing forward Emma Sears doubled her season’s goal tally with a brace in Louisville’s 3-1 victory over Orlando on Friday night. It is Racing’s third win in four games after winning just two games the rest of the season.

Rookie forward Audrey McKeen got things going for the visitors in the 16th minute when she headed in Katie O’Kane’s cornerkick service for her first professional goal. The 17-year-old youth U.S. women’s national team player became the youngest goalscorer in franchise history.

Sears, the U.S. women’s national team regular as of late, scored in the 68th and 86th minutes for her third and fourth goals of the season. Both goals were assisted by Racing veteran Lauren Milliet.

A goal from Racing Louisville’s rookie Audrey McKeen and a brace from Emma Sears put Racing Louisville on top of theOrlando Pride 3-1.

Orlando Pride vs Racing Louisville recap presented by @Nationwide pic.twitter.com/kTmfApIiKV
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 8, 2026

Sears scored 10 goals the previous season when head coach Bev Yanez led Louisville to the playoffs for the first time in team history. This year, Racing have struggled mightily and sit in second-to-last place with 17 points. It’s worth noting that the team currently in the last playoff spot has just 23 points, so a winning run could quickly get them back in contention.

Meanwhile, for Orlando, this is not the response they would’ve hoped for after falling 5-0 to the North Carolina Courage last week.

This article first appeared on The Equalizer and was syndicated with permission.

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