Brecken Mozingo's Stoppage-Time Volley Rescues Utah Royals in 1-1 Draw at Racing Louisville

Racing Louisville FC had the champagne on ice. Seven straight losses were about to end, the clock at Lynn Family Stadium was ticking toward a home win, and then Brecken Mozingo ruined the party with one swing of her left foot.

The Utah Royals substitute struck from outside the box in the sixth minute of stoppage time, and after a VAR check confirmed it, the goal salvaged a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon. Katie O'Kane's 42nd-minute penalty had Louisville on the brink of its first win since Aug. 19, while Utah escaped with a point it badly needed in the race for a home playoff game.

Louisville Comes Out Swinging

If you only watched the first half, you would have sworn the standings were upside down. Racing's own recap counted seven of the first 10 shots in the match as Louisville's, and the hosts spent long stretches camped in Utah's half.

The best of it came in the 25th minute, when Louisville went at Mandy McGlynn three times in the same minute. Mirann Gacioch's header was blocked, with Utah crediting Mina Tanaka for clearing it off the line, Macey Hodge headed wide off the ensuing corner, and McGlynn then had to get down to save a Gacioch shot in the bottom right corner. Makenna Morris fired over from distance a few minutes later.

The breakthrough arrived via the video monitor. In the 37th minute, Madison Hammond was penalized for fouling Arin Wright in the box during a Racing corner, VAR confirmed the call two minutes later, and O'Kane stepped up in the 42nd. Her right-footed penalty went into the bottom left corner. Utah's club notes said it went in off the post, and that it was O'Kane's fourth goal of the season.

"I try to breathe a lot," O'Kane said of her penalty routine, adding that she steps up knowing "that it's just a 12-yard pass in the end."

Louisville carried the 1-0 lead into halftime, and the half finished with four yellow cards between the two sides.

Utah Turns the Screw

Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets sent Paige Cronin on for Hammond at the break, and the second half slowly tilted. McGlynn had to make one more save, from Emma Sears in the 50th minute, but after that it was almost all Royals. Tanaka and Cece Delzer combined for three attempts in the 55th minute alone, Bloomer saved from Delzer in the 69th, and in the 73rd Utah had three chances in a row off a corner: a Kaleigh Riehl header, a Delzer shot and a Jameese Joseph strike that went just wide.

Racing's recap said roughly 48 percent of play in the final 15 minutes happened in Louisville's defensive third. That tracks. Cloé Lacasse headed wide in the 81st, Bloomer saved from Joseph inside the six-yard box in the 87th, and Kate Del Fava headed wide a minute later. For Louisville, it felt like holding a door shut against a hurricane.

The Turning Point: One Last Swing

The decisive moment came with the clock already deep into the six added minutes. Per Utah's account, Nuria Rábano's cross was headed away, but only as far as Mozingo outside the box. The Utah native, on since the 80th minute, took it down on her chest and volleyed it with her left foot into the bottom right corner. It was her second goal of the season.

Louisville coach Bev Yanez did not hide how much it stung. "We were probably about 30 seconds away, give or take, from three points, so it's tough," she said.

Who Stood Out

Brecken Mozingo had one shot in her cameo and turned it into the most important goal of Utah's weekend.

Katie O'Kane led Louisville with four shots, scored from the spot and kept the midfield ticking. Jordyn Bloomer made three saves and was beaten only by Mozingo's late strike.

Mirann Gacioch, a center back, put both of her shots on target and was Louisville's most dangerous player in the opening half.

Cece Delzer was everywhere for Utah, with three shots, one on target, and three offside flags as she kept testing the line.

There was also a moment worth noting before the drama: Savannah DeMelo came on in the 91st minute for her first appearance in 384 days, per the club. "I've really been anticipating this moment, and I was just really excited to be able to do it here," DeMelo said. "Obviously, I wish we could have held onto the three points, but I think that's the best the team has looked in a while."

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Utah held 58.3 percent of the ball.
• Shots: Utah outshot Louisville 16 to 11, but both teams put four on target.
• Crosses: Utah attempted 25 crosses to Louisville's 12.
• Clearances: Louisville made 38 clearances to Utah's 24, a fair summary of the second half.
• Tackles: Utah won 16 of its 25 tackles; Louisville won two of nine.

What It Means

Utah moved to 14-4-9 with 46 points and, per the club, sat fourth in the NWSL heading into the international break. The draw was Utah's first since May 30 against Portland, and it ended a run of results that had alternated between wins and losses since early August. Utah also completed its season series with Louisville unbeaten, after a 2-1 home win in May. Next up was a home date with the Kansas City Current on Oct. 17.

Louisville moved to 7-3-17 with 24 points. The point snapped the seven-match losing streak, and Racing noted it was the club's first draw since July 18 against the Houston Dash. Yanez found something to hold onto anyway. "Our main objective right now is to fight, and I thought the group fought," she said. Racing returned on Oct. 16 at Boston Legacy FC.

Closing Take

Louisville had the ending written: music swelling, credits about to roll, a first win since August in the bag. Then Mozingo crashed the final scene like the uninvited guest at a rom-com wedding. For Utah, it was a point stolen from the jaws of a deserved defeat. For Louisville, it was the best performance in weeks with the worst possible ending.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by Racing Louisville FC. Additional match details from Utah Royals FC.