Back in 2021, during the penalty shootout between Racing Louisville and Bayern Munich in the Women’s Cup final, Louisville midfielder Lauren Milliet remembers exactly how she felt watching goalkeeper Katie Lund earn her first professional minutes.
“I feel like it was like watching a star being born,” she says with a light laugh. “I know that sounds cliche, but we’d seen what she does in training.”
Lund had been subbed in around the 70th minute after Racing’s captain Michelle Betos went out with an injury. A beautiful volley from Yuki Nagasato quickly put Racing on top, but an own goal from Racing’s Gemma Bonner sent the match into a shootout to decide the winner.
Despite the fact Lund had never played in a professional match in her life, Milliet says her team trusted Lund completely. Just before the shootout began, Lund went to Bonner and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
“And we were like, yeah, you do,” Milliet says now.
