Indianapolis- Indy Eleven scored first and last, but came up short in a 3-2 setback to defending USLC champion Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in front of 10,202 fans on a rainy night at Carroll Stadium.
Former Switchbacks forward Maalique Foster put the Boys in Blue in front in the 19th minute with his 21st career goal in USL Championship play. Defender Aedan Stanley played a beautiful cross from the left side across the area to Foster on the right side of the box and Foster buried it just inside the near post with his left foot to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Colorado Springs substitute Marco Micaletto tied it up four minutes after entering in the 43rd minute so the teams were tied at half, 1-1.
The Boys in Blue came out strong in the second half when midfielder Oliver Brynéus, who made his first start, led forward Edward Kizza into the area in the 49th minute, but Kizza’s quick strike caromed off the near post.
Micaletto then gave his team the lead with his second goal in the 62nd. Justin Dhillon added an insurance goal two minutes later for the defending champions to make it 3-1.
The Boys in Blue kept fighting, with defender Ben Ofeimu getting a scoring opportunity in the 78th minute.
In the eighth and final minute of stoppage time, captain Aodhan Quinn earned a free kick and then converted it by splitting the wall and curling it inside the near post for his his second goal of the season and the 56th of his USLC career to narrow the margin to 3-2.
The Boys in Blue return home next Saturday vs. North Carolina FC at 7 pm at Carroll Stadium in its “Kick for a Cause” match with partner Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Season, Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
Indy Eleven Quotes
Coach Sean McAuley
- Talking about losing players to injury: “In the USL, if you lose players it becomes really difficult. But, I’m pleased with everyone who stepped in because during the season we’ll need everybody.”
- Fighting while down a goal: “It’s not game over for us because we’ll always fight until the end, but it’s quite difficult when you’re playing a good team (the champions).”
- “I think our effort and commitment was there which we pride ourselves on, I think we just may need to work on the final ball.”
Jack Blake
- “We wanted to reward the fans, which is disappointing. Definitely a lot to reflect on, but we’ve got a strong group, mentally, and we’ll bounce back and be ready for next week.”
- “It’s the tiny details that can make a big difference.”
Aodhan Quinn
- “I don’t think there’s any fault in the effort, the character in the group is great so I don’t think that’ll ever be a question. We just gave up some soft goals, and if you give up three goals at home, it’s going to be tough to win. So, I think if we fix those little mistakes, we’ll give each other a better chance.”
- “We need to make this place (Carroll Stadium) a hard place for teams to come, so if we can get that first win next week that’ll be great.”
- “The sky’s the limit, the character of the group is unbelievable, everyone gets along really well, a lot of good guys. We’re very hard to break down, we obviously gave up three goals today, but we’re organized, compact, have strength on the counter, and can play on the ball a bit.”
- “We have a lot of room to grow but I think we’re very good.”
- 2025 USL Championship
Indy Eleven 2:3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC - Sat., Mar. 29, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
- Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.
- Attendance: 10,202
- Weather: Rain, 71 degrees
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
| Indy Eleven | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 1 | 2 | 3 |
- Scoring Summary
- IND – Maalique Foster 19’
- COS – Marco Micaletto (Matt Real) 43’
- COS – Marco Micaletto (Quenzi Huerman) 62’
- COS – Justin Dhillon 64’
- IND – Aodhan Quinn 90’+8
- Discipline Summary
- COS – Charlie Adams (caution) 7’
- IND – James Murphy (caution) 53’
- COS – Akeem Ward (caution) 59’
Indy Eleven line-up: Hunter Sulte, Aedan Stanley, James Musa, Pat Hogan, Ben Ofeimu, Aodhan Quinn (captain), James Murphy, Oliver Brynéus (Elvis Amoh 65’), Jack Blake, Maalique Foster (Logan Neidlinger (90’+1), Edward Kizza.
Indy Eleven Subs not used: Josh O’Brien, Finn McRobb, Cam Lindley,Reice Charles-Cook, Bruno Rendon, Ryan Hunsucker, Maverick McCoy.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC line-up: Abraham Romero, Matt Real, Matt Mahoney, Garven Metusala (Juan Tejada 76’), Akeem Ward (Duke Lacroix 62’), Anthony Fontana, Charlie Adams (Marco Micaletto 39’), Zach Zandi, Justin Dhillon (Steven Echevarria 84’), Jonas Fjeldberg (Herbert Endeley 62’), Quenzi Huerman (Yosuke Hanya 62’).
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC subs not used: Christian Herrera.
| Stat | IND | COS |
| Shots | 16 | 14 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 4 |
| Corner Kicks | 11 | 8 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Fouls | 12 | 11 |
| Saves | 1 | 3 |
