Louisville’s Kayla Fischer to serve 3-game ban for hair pull

Racing Louisville FC forward Kayla Fischer will serve a three-game suspension for a hair-pulling incident that resulted in a red card on Saturday, NWSL announced on Thursday.

All major game misconduct events are reviewed by the NWSL’s Disciplinary Committee, which issued additional punishment.

Fischer and Racing Louisville have the right to appeal the decision but are unlikely to do so, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Fischer was ejected in the 67th minute of Racing’s 3-2 win over Angel City FC on Saturday after a video review showed her pulling the hair of Angel City FC midfielder Madison Hammond and dragging Hammond to the ground on an Angel City corner kick.

Angel City was awarded a penalty kick, which forward Alyssa Thompson converted to cut Louisville’s lead to 3-2, but Racing held on for an important victory in the clash of mid-table teams.

A red card results in an automatic suspension for the next game, meaning Fischer had two games added to her suspension for a total of three. Louisville has three games remaining before the NWSL’s summer break.

Fischer is not eligible to play another regular-season game until August 1.

In a statement issued to ESPN on Thursday, Fischer apologized for her behavior.

“I would like to apologize to Madison Hammond and Angel City for my actions last weekend,” Fischer said.

“It was never my intention to be overly aggressive while defending a corner, and I sincerely regret my behavior and letting my teammates down. I accept and understand the league’s decision.

“When I return to the field later this season, I plan to show that I have learned from my actions and that this moment doesn’t define me as a player or the respect I have for my opponents and the game.”

Fischer had started all 10 games for Louisville this year, tallying two goals and two assists. She assisted Savannah DeMelo’s game-winning goal on Saturday 11 minutes before she was sent off.

There is precedent for a three-game suspension for similar incidents.

Tyler Lussi and Merritt Mathias were each suspended for three games in 2017 for separate hair-pulling incidents. Neither player was sent off during the run of play. Those incidents took place six years before there was video review, which the NWSL implemented in 2023.

Chicago Stars forward Ludmila was also issued an additional two-match suspension last year after being ejected from a game for putting her hands on an opponent’s head and appearing to pull her hair.

Fischer’s suspension marks the second major ban of a Louisville player in the past month.

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Racing Louisville midfielder Ary Borges was suspended four games total — three on top of her automatic suspension due to a red card — for an altercation with the referee following her team’s 3-3 draw against the Portland Thorns on April 27.

The NWSL Disciplinary Committee found during its review that Borges pushed the referee during the altercation, resulting in “Major Game Misconduct.”

Borges is eligible to return for Louisville’s next match on June 6 against Utah Royals FC.