Game Recaps

Fulltime Recap –Indy Eleven  1 : 0  San Antonio Scorpions

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, October 18, 2014) – After 12 games without a home win in NASL play, Indy Eleven collected a second straight victory to close out its Carroll Stadium tenure in 2014, using a Charlie Rugg tally in the second half to post a 1-0 win over the visiting San Antonio Scorpions in front of a sold out crowd of 10,982 spectators. 

Indy Eleven’s second home win in as many weeks came against the league’s top two squads in San Antonio and Minnesota, the latter of which clinched the top seed in The Championship postseason tournament with a draw against New York when combined with the Scorpions’ defeat tonight in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Indy ended on a high note in the stands as well, the over-sized crowd marking the second largest attendance amongst the expansion side’s 14 home league matches on the campus of IUPUI.

A fast-moving first half saw few chances of quality from either side, Indy Eleven’s best looks coming from distance by midfielder Sergio Pena, while San Antonio forced just one save in the opening 45 minutes out of Indy Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht, who recorded his third consecutive clean sheet and extended his shutout streak to 307 minutes.

It wasn’t until second half that the game got rolling, especially with Rugg’s 56th minute tally, his first with Indy Eleven during his loan stint from MLS’ LA Galaxy.  Fellow forward Mike Ambersley earned his team-leading fourth assist of the year, fighting off Scorpions defender Stephen DeRoux before finding Rugg near the penalty spot, where he blasted a first-time shot past goalkeeper Josh Saunders and into the roof of the net to give Indy the advantage.  

Indy Eleven would expertly manage the match from there on out, but San Antonio certainly had its chances down the stretch. The Scorpions’ best look came in the 68th minute when a series of passes found midfielder Billy Forbes by himself 12 yards from goal with only Nicht to beat, but his skied effort over the crossbar gave the home crowd a sigh of relief. 

Indy Eleven will close out its first season of play with back-to-back road contests, starting north of the border next Sunday, October 26, with its final “NASL Class of 2014” clash with expansion brethren Ottawa Fury FC.  Kickoff from the gleaming new TD Place is set for 3:00 p.m. ET for a match that can be seen live online via the NASLLive.com streaming video subscription package.

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On building to the finish of the season:

“You couldn’t have written the script any other way without us losing all of our hair. In looking at the last two games of the season, we knew it would be a challenge but we have seen this effort coming for three or four weeks. Away in New York, it really showed that these guys weren’t going to go the whole season without putting their stamp on the league and putting the stamp on the Indy Eleven, especially being here at home.

"So the last two games have been great. Players have executed and performed and refused to lie down. I think they have finally shown their quality. The chemistry and camaraderie of the group is really coming together.”

On the Charlie Rugg second half goal:

“That was a good San Antonio team coming in here tonight. They were a little bit predictable in their play and we were just waiting for the couple of minutes we knew we would see. It started with the pressure we put on in the final third, Mike Ambersley sticking with the task, striping the ball loose and really setting up Charlie with a great finish. But Charlie took it really well with a first-time finish; I think he banged it into the top corner.  I thought he was great position wise, took it with confidence, no hesitation.  We talked to Charlie tonight and told him, ‘when you get your opportunity, take it,’ and he did that and scored a great goal.”

On the team’s sudden defensive turnaround:

“You go through the defense, our fullbacks have done a great job. Jaime [Frias], over the last three games, has been solid in the back. Marco Franco as a right back has come in from the [Chicago] Fire and we kind of threw him onto the coals early with us, but he’s managed to play the position very well with great positioning and great ability with the ball on his feet.

"Then you look at the two center backs between Cory [Miller], what he has brought to the team, and Erick [Norales] has just been a force. With that kind of commitment in the back, and throw in a Sergio Pena in the back of the midfield, it’s a nice combination.  Kristian [Nicht] is just the icing on the game with the saves he has made and the composure he has showed in the last couple of games. Confidence breeds confidence.”

 

SAN ANTONIO SCORPIONS HEAD COACH ALEN MARCINA

Overall thoughts on the match:

“Hats off to Indy for the result in a fantastic atmosphere. What we saw here tonight is outstanding for our league. Obviously we are not happy leaving with no points.  I think we did enough to get them, but we did not seize our chances.”

On the possibility of resting some players:

“I think we have done a good job on our preparation. We don’t feel there is a need at this point to rest anybody. We are now preparing for playoffs and we are going to take each game as if it was a playoff game.”

On their remaining schedule (versus Minnesota and New York):

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The difference he saw in Indy Eleven tonight:

“As I mentioned earlier, the fans are amazing. There was definitely a 12th man on the pitch. Indy played with a lot of energy and passion tonight. They wanted a big result for their fans and they accomplished it tonight.”

 On goalkeeper Josh Saunders:

“He’s been massive for us. He’s a proven winner and a great locker room guy. The type of player you like to have during the playoffs.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 15 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  1 : 0  San Antonio Scorpions

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Attendance: 10,982

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                            0          1          1

San Antonio Scorpions      0          0          0

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Charlie Rugg 1 (Mike Ambersley 4) 56’

 

Discipline Summary:

SAS – Greg Janicki (caution) 72’

SAS – Eric Hassli (caution) 79’

IND – Corby Moore (caution) 93+’

 

Statistics                   IND       SAS

Shots                           11          13

Shots on Goal              5            4

Fouls                           12          10

Corners                        4            6

Saves                            4            4

Offside                          1            2

Possession %          42          58

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales (CAP), Jaime Frias; Don Smart (Jhulliam 69’), Dylan Mares (Corby Moore 85’), Sergio Peña, Victor Pineda; Mike Ambersley (Blake Smith 92+’), Charlie Rugg

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Andrew Stone, A.J. Corrado, Fejiro Okiomah

 

San Antonio Scorpions (4-5-1) – John Saunders; Julius James, Greg Janicki, Adrian Cann (CAP), Stephen DeRoux; Sainey Touray (Eric Hassli 61’); Rafael Castillo, Jonathan Borrajo, Cesar Elizondo, Billy Forbes; Giuseppe Gentile (Trevin Caesar 82’)

Unused Substitutes: Daryl Sattler (GK), Ryan Guy, Richard Menjivar, Josue Soto

Officials: Referee- Alex Chilowicz; Assistant Referees-Brandon Rinkenberger, Andrew Bigelow; Fourth Official- Joshua Brooks

Fulltime Recap –Indy Eleven  1 : 0  San Antonio Scorpions

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, October 18, 2014) – After 12 games without a home win in NASL play, Indy Eleven collected a second straight victory to close out its Carroll Stadium tenure in 2014, using a Charlie Rugg tally in the second half to post a 1-0 win over the visiting San Antonio Scorpions in front of a sold out crowd of 10,982 spectators. 

Indy Eleven’s second home win in as many weeks came against the league’s top two squads in San Antonio and Minnesota, the latter of which clinched the top seed in The Championship postseason tournament with a draw against New York when combined with the Scorpions’ defeat tonight in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Indy ended on a high note in the stands as well, the over-sized crowd marking the second largest attendance amongst the expansion side’s 14 home league matches on the campus of IUPUI.

A fast-moving first half saw few chances of quality from either side, Indy Eleven’s best looks coming from distance by midfielder Sergio Pena, while San Antonio forced just one save in the opening 45 minutes out of Indy Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht, who recorded his third consecutive clean sheet and extended his shutout streak to 307 minutes.

It wasn’t until second half that the game got rolling, especially with Rugg’s 56th minute tally, his first with Indy Eleven during his loan stint from MLS’ LA Galaxy.  Fellow forward Mike Ambersley earned his team-leading fourth assist of the year, fighting off Scorpions defender Stephen DeRoux before finding Rugg near the penalty spot, where he blasted a first-time shot past goalkeeper Josh Saunders and into the roof of the net to give Indy the advantage.  

Indy Eleven would expertly manage the match from there on out, but San Antonio certainly had its chances down the stretch. The Scorpions’ best look came in the 68th minute when a series of passes found midfielder Billy Forbes by himself 12 yards from goal with only Nicht to beat, but his skied effort over the crossbar gave the home crowd a sigh of relief. 

Indy Eleven will close out its first season of play with back-to-back road contests, starting north of the border next Sunday, October 26, with its final “NASL Class of 2014” clash with expansion brethren Ottawa Fury FC.  Kickoff from the gleaming new TD Place is set for 3:00 p.m. ET for a match that can be seen live online via the NASLLive.com streaming video subscription package.

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On building to the finish of the season:

“You couldn’t have written the script any other way without us losing all of our hair. In looking at the last two games of the season, we knew it would be a challenge but we have seen this effort coming for three or four weeks. Away in New York, it really showed that these guys weren’t going to go the whole season without putting their stamp on the league and putting the stamp on the Indy Eleven, especially being here at home.

“So the last two games have been great. Players have executed and performed and refused to lie down. I think they have finally shown their quality. The chemistry and camaraderie of the group is really coming together.”

On the Charlie Rugg second half goal:

“That was a good San Antonio team coming in here tonight. They were a little bit predictable in their play and we were just waiting for the couple of minutes we knew we would see. It started with the pressure we put on in the final third, Mike Ambersley sticking with the task, striping the ball loose and really setting up Charlie with a great finish. But Charlie took it really well with a first-time finish; I think he banged it into the top corner.  I thought he was great position wise, took it with confidence, no hesitation.  We talked to Charlie tonight and told him, ‘when you get your opportunity, take it,’ and he did that and scored a great goal.”

On the team’s sudden defensive turnaround:

“You go through the defense, our fullbacks have done a great job. Jaime [Frias], over the last three games, has been solid in the back. Marco Franco as a right back has come in from the [Chicago] Fire and we kind of threw him onto the coals early with us, but he’s managed to play the position very well with great positioning and great ability with the ball on his feet.

“Then you look at the two center backs between Cory [Miller], what he has brought to the team, and Erick [Norales] has just been a force. With that kind of commitment in the back, and throw in a Sergio Pena in the back of the midfield, it’s a nice combination.  Kristian [Nicht] is just the icing on the game with the saves he has made and the composure he has showed in the last couple of games. Confidence breeds confidence.”

 

SAN ANTONIO SCORPIONS HEAD COACH ALEN MARCINA

Overall thoughts on the match:

“Hats off to Indy for the result in a fantastic atmosphere. What we saw here tonight is outstanding for our league. Obviously we are not happy leaving with no points.  I think we did enough to get them, but we did not seize our chances.”

On the possibility of resting some players:

“I think we have done a good job on our preparation. We don’t feel there is a need at this point to rest anybody. We are now preparing for playoffs and we are going to take each game as if it was a playoff game.”

On their remaining schedule (versus Minnesota and New York):

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The difference he saw in Indy Eleven tonight:

“As I mentioned earlier, the fans are amazing. There was definitely a 12th man on the pitch. Indy played with a lot of energy and passion tonight. They wanted a big result for their fans and they accomplished it tonight.”

 On goalkeeper Josh Saunders:

“He’s been massive for us. He’s a proven winner and a great locker room guy. The type of player you like to have during the playoffs.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 15 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  1 : 0  San Antonio Scorpions

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Attendance: 10,982

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                            0          1          1

San Antonio Scorpions      0          0          0

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Charlie Rugg 1 (Mike Ambersley 4) 56’

 

Discipline Summary:

SAS – Greg Janicki (caution) 72’

SAS – Eric Hassli (caution) 79’

IND – Corby Moore (caution) 93+’

 

Statistics                   IND       SAS

Shots                           11          13

Shots on Goal              5            4

Fouls                           12          10

Corners                        4            6

Saves                            4            4

Offside                          1            2

Possession %          42          58

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales (CAP), Jaime Frias; Don Smart (Jhulliam 69’), Dylan Mares (Corby Moore 85’), Sergio Peña, Victor Pineda; Mike Ambersley (Blake Smith 92+’), Charlie Rugg

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Andrew Stone, A.J. Corrado, Fejiro Okiomah

 

San Antonio Scorpions (4-5-1) – John Saunders; Julius James, Greg Janicki, Adrian Cann (CAP), Stephen DeRoux; Sainey Touray (Eric Hassli 61’); Rafael Castillo, Jonathan Borrajo, Cesar Elizondo, Billy Forbes; Giuseppe Gentile (Trevin Caesar 82’)

Unused Substitutes: Daryl Sattler (GK), Ryan Guy, Richard Menjivar, Josue Soto

Officials: Referee- Alex Chilowicz; Assistant Referees-Brandon Rinkenberger, Andrew Bigelow; Fourth Official- Joshua Brooks

Fulltime Recap –Indy Eleven  2 : 0  Minnesota United FC

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, October 11, 2014) –  The long-awaited first home win in league play for Indy Eleven came against the unlikeliest of opponents, as the expansion side posted a 2-0 victory over NASL Fall Season and overall leader Minnesota United FC in front of a soldout crowd of 10,285 fans at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium.

The win takes pressure off of the Eleven for that first win at home after going 0-7-5 in their first 12 NASL games at Carroll Stadium. Meanwhile, Minnesota remains clear of San Antonio for top spot in the Fall Season and overall standings, but only by a point and four points, respectively, after the Scorpions’ win over Tampa Bay this evening.

United got off to a strong start, but it was Indy Eleven that would strike first in the eighth minute.  Eleven striker Charlie Rugg cut toward the Minnesota goal after achieving the right endline and found midfielder Victor Pineda cutting across the box. Pineda took a first-time shot and beat United goalkeeper Matt VanOekel to the near right post give Indy the fast 1-0 lead.

Minnesota had several excellent chances to tie the match in the opening 45 minutes, but tremendous goalkeeping by Kristian Nicht of Indy Eleven, particularly with his left foot, kept United scoreless. Indy would carry out its 1-0 lead into the halftime break, giving the squad just its second lead of the year in home 13 games going into the locker room.

It only got better for Indy Eleven in the second half after the checkered-clad side capitalized straight out of the halftime break through forward Jhulliam. Just 30 seconds after the restart, midfielder Don Smart played in a quick cross to the Brazilian striker, who had just entered the match. Jhulliam adjusted his feet and sent a left-footed volley screaming into the roof of the net to double the Indy lead.

United failed to capitalize on chance after chance as the match went on, including defender Christiano Dias smacking the right post with a blast just after the hour mark.  But it was Nicht rather than the woodwork that was Minnesota’s main nemesis, as the German netminder stopped all eight shots on the Indy Eleven frame and stretched his shutout streak to 217 minutes.  The longest seven minutes of the season for Indy Eleven finally expired after stoppage time ran out, resulting in a “running out” of the Brickyard Battalion onto the field to celebrate a long overdue victory at “The Mike.”

Indy will look to make it two wins in a row to close out its Carroll Stadium tenure in 2014 next Saturday, October 18, when it welcomes San Antonio to town on Fan Appreciation Night and Military Appreciation Night (7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, live on MyINDY-TV 23).

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On finally getting three points at home:

“This is a win that has been a long time coming.  Perhaps it was a little overdue in coming this late in the year and I thought there were some games we should have won that didn’t go our way, but this win was fully deserved by our guys. I couldn’t be prouder of the way they fought and stuck together and really put together a full 90 minutes.”

On the play of Kristian Nicht:

“He was fantastic.  And he was fantastic in New York last weekend as well , but he just put himself in great positions tonight. He was really hard to beat. He made himself big and he got something on everything they put on him. He was at the right spot consistently tonight and we’re really happy for him.”

 

MINNESOTA UNITED HEAD COACH MANNY LAGOS

Overall thoughts on the match:

“First and foremost, give Indy Eleven credit for the way they came out tonight.   In both halves they scored a goal that changed the momentum straight away. I thought we started brightly and made some good adjustments after their goals and created some good chances of our own, but our lack of clinical finishing and their goalkeeping kept them ahead.”

On impact of the Eleven goal to start the second half:

“In the second half I thought we’d come out and do well, but they come out and score a nice goal right away and we’re behind the eight ball all of a sudden. We didn’t have the same acumen to get back into the game after that.”

On how the remaining schedule lines up:

“The schedule sets up pretty well down the stretch, but San Antonio got the win tonight so it’s still tight and we’ve got some tough games ahead of us still. We’ve got a tough week with two games in three days. Certainly proud of the guys but I think we have to learn from tonight and think of the good things we did and keep moving forward.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 14 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  2 : 0  Minnesota United FC

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Attendance: 10,285

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                           1          1          2

Minnesota United FC          0          0          0

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Victor Pineda 2 (Charlie Rugg 1) 8’

IND – Jhulliam 1 (Don Smart 2) 46’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Charlie Rugg (caution) 35’

MNU – Juliano (caution) 45’

MNU – Cristiano Dias (caution) 45’

IND – Jamie Frias (caution) 54’

IND – Sergio Pena (caution) 63

 

Statistics                   IND      MNU

Shots                           11          17

Shots on Goal             6            8

Fouls                           17          13

Corners                        1            5

Saves                            8            4

Offside                          2            4

Possession %          42          58

 

Line-ups:

 

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales, Jaime Frias; Don Smart, Dylan Mares (Kleberson 75’), Sergio Peña, Victor Pineda (Corby Moore 92+’); Jermaine Johnson (Jhulliam 45’), Charlie Rugg

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Andrew Stone, A.J. Corrado, Fejiro Okiomah

 

Minnesota United (4-5-1) – Matt VanOekel; Christian Ramirez, Jamie Watson (Omar Daley 56’), Daniel Mendes (Pedro Mendes 85’), Greg Jordan (Simone Bracalello 64’); Juliano Vicentini, Aaron Pitchkolan, Kevin Venegas, Tiago Calvano, Cristiano Dias; Justin Davis

Unused Substitutes: Mitchell Hildebrandt (GK), Floyd Franks, Michael Reed, Brian Kallman

 

Officials: Referee- Sorin Stoica; Assistant Referees-Joshua Brooks, Ali Banane; Fourth Official- Aaron Hernandez

Fulltime Recap –Indy Eleven  2 : 0  Minnesota United FC

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, October 11, 2014) –  The long-awaited first home win in league play for Indy Eleven came against the unlikeliest of opponents, as the expansion side posted a 2-0 victory over NASL Fall Season and overall leader Minnesota United FC in front of a soldout crowd of 10,285 fans at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium.

The win takes pressure off of the Eleven for that first win at home after going 0-7-5 in their first 12 NASL games at Carroll Stadium. Meanwhile, Minnesota remains clear of San Antonio for top spot in the Fall Season and overall standings, but only by a point and four points, respectively, after the Scorpions’ win over Tampa Bay this evening.

United got off to a strong start, but it was Indy Eleven that would strike first in the eighth minute.  Eleven striker Charlie Rugg cut toward the Minnesota goal after achieving the right endline and found midfielder Victor Pineda cutting across the box. Pineda took a first-time shot and beat United goalkeeper Matt VanOekel to the near right post give Indy the fast 1-0 lead.

Minnesota had several excellent chances to tie the match in the opening 45 minutes, but tremendous goalkeeping by Kristian Nicht of Indy Eleven, particularly with his left foot, kept United scoreless. Indy would carry out its 1-0 lead into the halftime break, giving the squad just its second lead of the year in home 13 games going into the locker room.

It only got better for Indy Eleven in the second half after the checkered-clad side capitalized straight out of the halftime break through forward Jhulliam. Just 30 seconds after the restart, midfielder Don Smart played in a quick cross to the Brazilian striker, who had just entered the match. Jhulliam adjusted his feet and sent a left-footed volley screaming into the roof of the net to double the Indy lead.

United failed to capitalize on chance after chance as the match went on, including defender Christiano Dias smacking the right post with a blast just after the hour mark.  But it was Nicht rather than the woodwork that was Minnesota’s main nemesis, as the German netminder stopped all eight shots on the Indy Eleven frame and stretched his shutout streak to 217 minutes.  The longest seven minutes of the season for Indy Eleven finally expired after stoppage time ran out, resulting in a “running out” of the Brickyard Battalion onto the field to celebrate a long overdue victory at “The Mike.”

Indy will look to make it two wins in a row to close out its Carroll Stadium tenure in 2014 next Saturday, October 18, when it welcomes San Antonio to town on Fan Appreciation Night and Military Appreciation Night (7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, live on MyINDY-TV 23).

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On finally getting three points at home:

“This is a win that has been a long time coming.  Perhaps it was a little overdue in coming this late in the year and I thought there were some games we should have won that didn’t go our way, but this win was fully deserved by our guys. I couldn’t be prouder of the way they fought and stuck together and really put together a full 90 minutes.”

On the play of Kristian Nicht:

“He was fantastic.  And he was fantastic in New York last weekend as well , but he just put himself in great positions tonight. He was really hard to beat. He made himself big and he got something on everything they put on him. He was at the right spot consistently tonight and we’re really happy for him.”

 

MINNESOTA UNITED HEAD COACH MANNY LAGOS

Overall thoughts on the match:

“First and foremost, give Indy Eleven credit for the way they came out tonight.   In both halves they scored a goal that changed the momentum straight away. I thought we started brightly and made some good adjustments after their goals and created some good chances of our own, but our lack of clinical finishing and their goalkeeping kept them ahead.”

On impact of the Eleven goal to start the second half:

“In the second half I thought we’d come out and do well, but they come out and score a nice goal right away and we’re behind the eight ball all of a sudden. We didn’t have the same acumen to get back into the game after that.”

On how the remaining schedule lines up:

“The schedule sets up pretty well down the stretch, but San Antonio got the win tonight so it’s still tight and we’ve got some tough games ahead of us still. We’ve got a tough week with two games in three days. Certainly proud of the guys but I think we have to learn from tonight and think of the good things we did and keep moving forward.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 14 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  2 : 0  Minnesota United FC

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Attendance: 10,285

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                           1          1          2

Minnesota United FC          0          0          0

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Victor Pineda 2 (Charlie Rugg 1) 8’

IND – Jhulliam 1 (Don Smart 2) 46’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Charlie Rugg (caution) 35’

MNU – Juliano (caution) 45’

MNU – Cristiano Dias (caution) 45’

IND – Jamie Frias (caution) 54’

IND – Sergio Pena (caution) 63

 

Statistics                   IND      MNU

Shots                           11          17

Shots on Goal             6            8

Fouls                           17          13

Corners                        1            5

Saves                            8            4

Offside                          2            4

Possession %          42          58

 

Line-ups:

 

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales, Jaime Frias; Don Smart, Dylan Mares (Kleberson 75’), Sergio Peña, Victor Pineda (Corby Moore 92+’); Jermaine Johnson (Jhulliam 45’), Charlie Rugg

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Andrew Stone, A.J. Corrado, Fejiro Okiomah

 

Minnesota United (4-5-1) – Matt VanOekel; Christian Ramirez, Jamie Watson (Omar Daley 56’), Daniel Mendes (Pedro Mendes 85’), Greg Jordan (Simone Bracalello 64’); Juliano Vicentini, Aaron Pitchkolan, Kevin Venegas, Tiago Calvano, Cristiano Dias; Justin Davis

Unused Substitutes: Mitchell Hildebrandt (GK), Floyd Franks, Michael Reed, Brian Kallman

 

Officials: Referee- Sorin Stoica; Assistant Referees-Joshua Brooks, Ali Banane; Fourth Official- Aaron Hernandez

Fulltime Recap – New York Cosmos  0 : 0  Indy Eleven

HEMPSTEAD, NY (Saturday, October 4, 2014) –  The host New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven played to a scoreless draw at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium Saturday night. The result marked the third consecutive draw in as many meetings between the two sides during Indy Eleven’s inaugural season, giving the expansion side a season split against the NASL’s defending champs.

 

Indy Eleven had the game’s first chances of note in the opening 10 minutes, but Sergio Pena put a glancing header from the edge of the six wide of the net following a corner in the fourth minute.  New York goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer then came off his line to take the ball off the foot of debuting forward Charlie Rugg, who made a darting run following a Cosmos turnover four minutes later.

The Cosmos’ Andres Flores had two chances in a two-minute span, but the Salvadoran midfielder was unable to find the back of the net. In the 11th minute, Flores attacked the space and played a nifty give-and-go with Mwanga, but his header from 11 yards was off target. In the 13th minute, Diomar Diaz played Flores behind the defense, but after taking a touch past Nicht, his shot on frame was cleared off the line by Indy defender Kyle Hyland.

In the 20th minute, Danny Szetela sent a cross to the edge of the six, but Stokkelien mishit his attempt and it went wide.  Two minutes later, Rugg had an ambitious effort from nearly midfield with Maurer off his line, but the long-distance lob was over the net.

With former Spanish international star Raul, who is reportedly in negotiation with the Cosmos, watching from a luxury box, the Cosmos carried play for much of the second half.  Four minutes into the second half, a low cross from the left by Mads Stokkelien went begging, just missing a sliding Danny Mwanga.  In the 51st minute, Flores received a pass from Marcos Senna, took a touch into the box and put a low shot from 14 yards out on frame, but Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht kicked it away for a corner.

Two minutes later, Ayoze took a low free kick from the top of the 18-yard box, but it was parried away by Nicht, who dived to his right, before it was cleared out for a corner.  Nicht also got a hand on another free kick, this by Hunter Freeman from the left edge of the box, and pushed it over the bar for a corner.

A blind back pass by Carlos Mendes to Maurer nearly resulted in the game’s first goal in the 64th minute. Maurer and Eleven midfielder Victor Pineda both slid for the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and it caromed out to Dylan Mares, whose shot at the open net was off target.

In the 76th minute, Senna’s free kick from 35 yards took a deflection before Nicht saved it. Stokkelien’s rebound was blocked by an Indy defender.  Five minutes from full time, Stefan Dimitrov latched onto a whipped in free kick by Ayoze, but the glancing header was wide of the far post.

Four minutes into second-half stoppage time, Freeman hammered a volley following an attempted clearance from 22 yards, but it was right at Nicht. Despite playing the final three minutes and six additional minutes of stoppage time up a man after Mike Ambersley went off with a possible concussion and Indy used its allotment of substitutions, the Cosmos were unable to find the goal.

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

"I think there is quite a good little rivalry building here with us in New York. We knew what we were coming against: a very strong, physical team, well organized, well-coached. We knew it was going to be a battle form the start. It was a pretty physical game here. It was a good contest for us. We are pleased with a point on the road."

 

NEW YORK COSMOS HEAD COACH GIOVANNI SAVARESE

"I think in the second half we created a lot of chances.  I think what we were missing most today was the ability to capitalize on those chances that we had. I felt, especially in the second half, we did a lot of good, things, we played with high intensity. In the first half, I felt that we started a little bit casual and we just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we had.”

 

 

NASL Fall Season Week 13 – Fulltime Recap

New York Cosmos  0 : 0  Indy Eleven

James M. Shuart Stadium – Hempstead, N.Y.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Attendance: 6,225

 

                                                1          2          FT

New York Cosmos                  0          0          0

Indy Eleven                                0          0          0

 

Scoring Summary:

None

 

Discipline Summary:

NYC – Carlos Mendes (caution) 43’

NYC – Marcos Senna (caution) 78’

IND – Mike Ambersley (caution) 82’

IND – Erick Norales (caution) 85’

 

Statistics                   NYC       IND

Shots                           17           7

Shots on Goal               7            1

Fouls                           13          20

Corners                        9            2

Saves                            1            7

Offside                         2            7

Possession %               55          45

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales, Kyle Hyland (Jaime Frias 27’); Don Smart (Jermaine Johnson 69’), Dylan Mares (Jhulliam 78’), Sergio Peña, Victor Pineda; Charlie Rugg, Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore, Fejiro Okiomah

 

New York Cosmos (4-5-1) – Jimmy Maurer; Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes (cap). Roversio, Ayoze; Andres Flores (Hagop Chirishian 87’), Danny Szetela, Marcos Senna, Danny Mwanga (Stefan Dimitrov 77’), David Diaz (Jemal Johnson 69’); Mads Stokkelien

Unused Substitutes: Kyle Zobeck (GK), Hunter Gorskie, Connor Lade, Dane Murphy

 

Officials: Referee- J. Gonzalez; Assistant Referees-J. Lopez, B. Di Paolo; Fourth Official- J. Ramirez

•  

Fulltime Recap – New York Cosmos  0 : 0  Indy Eleven

HEMPSTEAD, NY (Saturday, October 4, 2014) –  The host New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven played to a scoreless draw at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium Saturday night. The result marked the third consecutive draw in as many meetings between the two sides during Indy Eleven’s inaugural season, giving the expansion side a season split against the NASL’s defending champs.

 

Indy Eleven had the game’s first chances of note in the opening 10 minutes, but Sergio Pena put a glancing header from the edge of the six wide of the net following a corner in the fourth minute.  New York goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer then came off his line to take the ball off the foot of debuting forward Charlie Rugg, who made a darting run following a Cosmos turnover four minutes later.

The Cosmos’ Andres Flores had two chances in a two-minute span, but the Salvadoran midfielder was unable to find the back of the net. In the 11th minute, Flores attacked the space and played a nifty give-and-go with Mwanga, but his header from 11 yards was off target. In the 13th minute, Diomar Diaz played Flores behind the defense, but after taking a touch past Nicht, his shot on frame was cleared off the line by Indy defender Kyle Hyland.

In the 20th minute, Danny Szetela sent a cross to the edge of the six, but Stokkelien mishit his attempt and it went wide.  Two minutes later, Rugg had an ambitious effort from nearly midfield with Maurer off his line, but the long-distance lob was over the net.

With former Spanish international star Raul, who is reportedly in negotiation with the Cosmos, watching from a luxury box, the Cosmos carried play for much of the second half.  Four minutes into the second half, a low cross from the left by Mads Stokkelien went begging, just missing a sliding Danny Mwanga.  In the 51st minute, Flores received a pass from Marcos Senna, took a touch into the box and put a low shot from 14 yards out on frame, but Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht kicked it away for a corner.

Two minutes later, Ayoze took a low free kick from the top of the 18-yard box, but it was parried away by Nicht, who dived to his right, before it was cleared out for a corner.  Nicht also got a hand on another free kick, this by Hunter Freeman from the left edge of the box, and pushed it over the bar for a corner.

A blind back pass by Carlos Mendes to Maurer nearly resulted in the game’s first goal in the 64th minute. Maurer and Eleven midfielder Victor Pineda both slid for the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and it caromed out to Dylan Mares, whose shot at the open net was off target.

In the 76th minute, Senna’s free kick from 35 yards took a deflection before Nicht saved it. Stokkelien’s rebound was blocked by an Indy defender.  Five minutes from full time, Stefan Dimitrov latched onto a whipped in free kick by Ayoze, but the glancing header was wide of the far post.

Four minutes into second-half stoppage time, Freeman hammered a volley following an attempted clearance from 22 yards, but it was right at Nicht. Despite playing the final three minutes and six additional minutes of stoppage time up a man after Mike Ambersley went off with a possible concussion and Indy used its allotment of substitutions, the Cosmos were unable to find the goal.

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

“I think there is quite a good little rivalry building here with us in New York. We knew what we were coming against: a very strong, physical team, well organized, well-coached. We knew it was going to be a battle form the start. It was a pretty physical game here. It was a good contest for us. We are pleased with a point on the road.”

 

NEW YORK COSMOS HEAD COACH GIOVANNI SAVARESE

“I think in the second half we created a lot of chances.  I think what we were missing most today was the ability to capitalize on those chances that we had. I felt, especially in the second half, we did a lot of good, things, we played with high intensity. In the first half, I felt that we started a little bit casual and we just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we had.”

 

 

NASL Fall Season Week 13 – Fulltime Recap

New York Cosmos  0 : 0  Indy Eleven

James M. Shuart Stadium – Hempstead, N.Y.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Attendance: 6,225

 

                                                1          2          FT

New York Cosmos                  0          0          0

Indy Eleven                                0          0          0

 

Scoring Summary:

None

 

Discipline Summary:

NYC – Carlos Mendes (caution) 43’

NYC – Marcos Senna (caution) 78’

IND – Mike Ambersley (caution) 82’

IND – Erick Norales (caution) 85’

 

Statistics                   NYC       IND

Shots                           17           7

Shots on Goal               7            1

Fouls                           13          20

Corners                        9            2

Saves                            1            7

Offside                         2            7

Possession %               55          45

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales, Kyle Hyland (Jaime Frias 27’); Don Smart (Jermaine Johnson 69’), Dylan Mares (Jhulliam 78’), Sergio Peña, Victor Pineda; Charlie Rugg, Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore, Fejiro Okiomah

 

New York Cosmos (4-5-1) – Jimmy Maurer; Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes (cap). Roversio, Ayoze; Andres Flores (Hagop Chirishian 87’), Danny Szetela, Marcos Senna, Danny Mwanga (Stefan Dimitrov 77’), David Diaz (Jemal Johnson 69’); Mads Stokkelien

Unused Substitutes: Kyle Zobeck (GK), Hunter Gorskie, Connor Lade, Dane Murphy

 

Officials: Referee- J. Gonzalez; Assistant Referees-J. Lopez, B. Di Paolo; Fourth Official- J. Ramirez

•  

Fulltime Recap – Indy Eleven 0 : 1 Carolina RailHawks

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, September 27, 2014) –  The Carolina RailHawks made a 53rd minute goal by Nazmi Albadawi stand tall tonight against Indy Eleven, riding the midfielder’s tally to a 1-0 victory in front of 10,285 fans at a sold out Michael A. Carroll Stadium.  The hard-earned three points kept the RailHawks in the driver’s seat for the fourth and final spot in The Championship with now five games remaining, while the loss kept Indy Eleven’s search for its elusive first home win in NASL play going with just two tries remaining during its inaugural campaign.

Both teams looked to be cautious during the first 45 minutes, with both goalkeepers being warmed up with half-chances but not having to save shots that carried any real danger on goal.  Carolina had cause for concern for another reason in the 40th minute, when an injury forced defender Jordan Graye to be removed from the match in favor of Kwame Watson-Siraboe.

The game would finally find its turning point with a quick strike conjured up by RailHawks midfielder Enzo Martinez and Albadawi.  Off a fairly routine run up the middle of the field it took just one incisive pass by Martinez to give Albadawi space behind the Indy backline. He'd pick out his corner well, finishing low and to the right of Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht to put the visitors up 1-0.   

Indy Eleven looked to spark its attack with the additions of Jamaicans Jermaine Johnson and Don Smart midway through the second half, but the team’s offense continued to struggle to find quality chances.  Nicht stood tall, but so did his opposite number Akira Fitzgerald when need be, as he needed just two saves to record his sixth shutout of the 2014 season.  

Indy Eleven (3-7-3 , 12 pts. in Fall Season; 3-12-7, 16 pts. overall) will take to the road next Saturday, Oct. 11, when its travels to Long Island to face the New York Cosmos (4-4-4, 16 pts. in Fall; 10-6-5, 35 pts. overall).  Kickoff from Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University is set for 8:00 p.m. ET for a match that will be carried live online via the NASLLive.com subscription package and also screened at eight locations across the Hoosier State at official Indy Eleven Watch Parties.

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On the debut of defender Marco Franco:

“We had a new face tonight, Marco Franco played right back for us and had a great game. A lot of composure on the ball and defensively was very sound. Took good positions, took us forward often and well. So I’m really happy for Marco, I thought he came in and did a fine job.”

On the center back tandem of Cory Miller and Erick Norales:

“Cory has brought so much energy and so much pressure to the back line. He really competes for the ball and really goes for it quickly, closes down space. He’s a real handful for forwards to get around and in the aerial battles I haven’t really seen anyone beat him yet. So it’s great that he’s that aggressive and he’s really forward thinking, kind of putting out fires instead of falling back.  I thought Erick had a solid performance now. Just a solid, athletic presence is what you get from Erick, game in and game out. So we’re slowly starting to get all of the guys back into full fitness.”

 

CAROLINA RAILHAWKS HEAD COACH COLIN CLARKE

Overall thoughts on the match:

“We didn’t play particularly well. That one bit of quality in the final third of the field was the difference in the game. We were back and received a lot of long range shots, and we were not very good on the counter attack, but absolutely delighted that we got the three points that keeps us in the hunt for The Championship.”

On the importance of the three points for the playoff race:

“It’s very important. It’s a dog fight between us, Fort Lauderdale and Edmonton, but we are in control. We are right now on that fourth spot. We have to win our games and after that whatever happens, happens. We got to go play Ft. Lauderdale and Edmonton in our next games, so it’s going to be exciting.”

On the defensive play of his team tonight:

“We defended very well, but in the end some gaps opened up. It’s never going to be easy. It’s hard to go on the road and win games, but Indy was lacking the quality in the final third. We are happy to get the 1-0 and get out of here.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 12 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  0 : 1  Carolina RailHawks

Michael A. Carroll Stadium at IUPUI – Indianapolis, Ind.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Attendance: 10,285

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                            0          0          0

Carolina RailHawks            0          1          1

 

Scoring Summary:

CAR – Nazmi Albadawi 3 (Enzo Martinez 3) 53’

 

Discipline Summary:

CAR – Enzo Martinez (caution) 56’

CAR – Kupono Low (caution) 60’

IND – Don Smart (caution) 92+’

 

Statistics                   IND       CAR

Shots                           19           9

Shots on Goal             2            3

Fouls                           10          13

Corners                        5            4

Saves                            2            2

Offside                          3            2

Possession %          54          46

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales, Jaime Frias; Victor Pineda, Kléberson (captain) (Dylan Mares 81’), Sergio Peña, Kyle Hyland (Jermaine Johnson 59’); Jhulliam (Don Smart 67’), Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore, Fejiro Okiomah

Carolina RailHawks (4-2-3-1) – Akira Fitzgerald; Jordan Graye (Kwame Watson-Siraboe 40’), Daniel Scott, Connor Tobin, Kupono Low; Leo Osaki (Austin Da Luz 84’), Jun Marques Davidson (captain); Ty Shipalane, Nazmi Albadawi, Enzo Martinez; Daniel Jackson (Nacho Novo 65’)

Unused Substitutes: Scott Goodwin (GK), Danny Barrera

Officials: Referee-Tyler Ploeger; Assistant Referees-Khalif Al-Latayfeh, Miguel Panduro Fourth Official- Brandon Rinkenberger

Fulltime Recap – Indy Eleven 0 : 1 Carolina RailHawks

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, September 27, 2014) –  The Carolina RailHawks made a 53rd minute goal by Nazmi Albadawi stand tall tonight against Indy Eleven, riding the midfielder’s tally to a 1-0 victory in front of 10,285 fans at a sold out Michael A. Carroll Stadium.  The hard-earned three points kept the RailHawks in the driver’s seat for the fourth and final spot in The Championship with now five games remaining, while the loss kept Indy Eleven’s search for its elusive first home win in NASL play going with just two tries remaining during its inaugural campaign.

Both teams looked to be cautious during the first 45 minutes, with both goalkeepers being warmed up with half-chances but not having to save shots that carried any real danger on goal.  Carolina had cause for concern for another reason in the 40th minute, when an injury forced defender Jordan Graye to be removed from the match in favor of Kwame Watson-Siraboe.

The game would finally find its turning point with a quick strike conjured up by RailHawks midfielder Enzo Martinez and Albadawi.  Off a fairly routine run up the middle of the field it took just one incisive pass by Martinez to give Albadawi space behind the Indy backline. He’d pick out his corner well, finishing low and to the right of Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht to put the visitors up 1-0.   

Indy Eleven looked to spark its attack with the additions of Jamaicans Jermaine Johnson and Don Smart midway through the second half, but the team’s offense continued to struggle to find quality chances.  Nicht stood tall, but so did his opposite number Akira Fitzgerald when need be, as he needed just two saves to record his sixth shutout of the 2014 season.  

Indy Eleven (3-7-3 , 12 pts. in Fall Season; 3-12-7, 16 pts. overall) will take to the road next Saturday, Oct. 11, when its travels to Long Island to face the New York Cosmos (4-4-4, 16 pts. in Fall; 10-6-5, 35 pts. overall).  Kickoff from Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University is set for 8:00 p.m. ET for a match that will be carried live online via the NASLLive.com subscription package and also screened at eight locations across the Hoosier State at official Indy Eleven Watch Parties.

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On the debut of defender Marco Franco:

“We had a new face tonight, Marco Franco played right back for us and had a great game. A lot of composure on the ball and defensively was very sound. Took good positions, took us forward often and well. So I’m really happy for Marco, I thought he came in and did a fine job.”

On the center back tandem of Cory Miller and Erick Norales:

“Cory has brought so much energy and so much pressure to the back line. He really competes for the ball and really goes for it quickly, closes down space. He’s a real handful for forwards to get around and in the aerial battles I haven’t really seen anyone beat him yet. So it’s great that he’s that aggressive and he’s really forward thinking, kind of putting out fires instead of falling back.  I thought Erick had a solid performance now. Just a solid, athletic presence is what you get from Erick, game in and game out. So we’re slowly starting to get all of the guys back into full fitness.”

 

CAROLINA RAILHAWKS HEAD COACH COLIN CLARKE

Overall thoughts on the match:

“We didn’t play particularly well. That one bit of quality in the final third of the field was the difference in the game. We were back and received a lot of long range shots, and we were not very good on the counter attack, but absolutely delighted that we got the three points that keeps us in the hunt for The Championship.”

On the importance of the three points for the playoff race:

“It’s very important. It’s a dog fight between us, Fort Lauderdale and Edmonton, but we are in control. We are right now on that fourth spot. We have to win our games and after that whatever happens, happens. We got to go play Ft. Lauderdale and Edmonton in our next games, so it’s going to be exciting.”

On the defensive play of his team tonight:

“We defended very well, but in the end some gaps opened up. It’s never going to be easy. It’s hard to go on the road and win games, but Indy was lacking the quality in the final third. We are happy to get the 1-0 and get out of here.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 12 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  0 : 1  Carolina RailHawks

Michael A. Carroll Stadium at IUPUI – Indianapolis, Ind.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Attendance: 10,285

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                            0          0          0

Carolina RailHawks            0          1          1

 

Scoring Summary:

CAR – Nazmi Albadawi 3 (Enzo Martinez 3) 53’

 

Discipline Summary:

CAR – Enzo Martinez (caution) 56’

CAR – Kupono Low (caution) 60’

IND – Don Smart (caution) 92+’

 

Statistics                   IND       CAR

Shots                           19           9

Shots on Goal             2            3

Fouls                           10          13

Corners                        5            4

Saves                            2            2

Offside                          3            2

Possession %          54          46

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales, Jaime Frias; Victor Pineda, Kléberson (captain) (Dylan Mares 81’), Sergio Peña, Kyle Hyland (Jermaine Johnson 59’); Jhulliam (Don Smart 67’), Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore, Fejiro Okiomah

Carolina RailHawks (4-2-3-1) – Akira Fitzgerald; Jordan Graye (Kwame Watson-Siraboe 40’), Daniel Scott, Connor Tobin, Kupono Low; Leo Osaki (Austin Da Luz 84’), Jun Marques Davidson (captain); Ty Shipalane, Nazmi Albadawi, Enzo Martinez; Daniel Jackson (Nacho Novo 65’)

Unused Substitutes: Scott Goodwin (GK), Danny Barrera

Officials: Referee-Tyler Ploeger; Assistant Referees-Khalif Al-Latayfeh, Miguel Panduro Fourth Official- Brandon Rinkenberger

Fulltime Recap – Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2 : 1 Indy Eleven

Eleven Defender Jaime Frias Nets First Goal, but Indy Can’t Keep Undefeated Streak Going

 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Saturday, September 20, 2014) –  A goal in the first minute from Fafà Picault got the ball rolling for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a 2-1 victory against Indy Eleven at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night.  Indy Eleven defender Jaime Frias’s first professional goal equalized for the visitors before halftime, but Martin Nuñez grabbed the winning goal in the second half to keep the Strikers in the hunt for a place in The Championship.

After scoring first in each of its last two games, Indy Eleven would be taken aback quickly, as it took just 28 seconds for the Strikers to get on the scoreboard. Picault got on the end of a low cross from Darnell King to notch his team-leading ninth goal of the year with the fastest goal in NASL action this year.  New Indy Eleven forward Jhulliam, making his debut in the starting lineup tonight, nearly drew the visitors even just as quickly, but saw Strikers goalkeeper Kamil Contofalsky thwart his low effort in the 2nd minute.

King nearly grabbed his second assist of the night in the 15th minute, but Mark Anderson’s effort from just inside the box struck the bar.  After that point Indy Eleven would slowly start to see the run of play turn in its favor, and would eventually score in the 39th minute. A corner kick to the back post was headed across goal by Cory Miller for fellow defender Frias to redirect past Contofalsky with a wicked volleyed effort at the near post.

The Strikers started the second half with similar intensity to the first. Within the first five minutes of the restart Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht was called into action twice to deny Picault and watched as a Nuñez’ effort dragged just wide of goal.

But Nuñez made no mistake with his next attempt in the 55th minute, as a clever combination play from Picault and Shawn Chin in midfield led to Chin slipping Nuñez behind the defense and through on goal. Nuñez rounded Nicht and finished just past a backtracking Dylan Mares and into an empty net to put the Strikers in front 2-1.

Both teams made changes as the Eleven searched for an equalizer. Forward Mike Ambersley and midfielder Don Smart maintained their appearances streaks – both now appearing in each of the team’s 21 matches – and came on to give Indy a push in the final 25 minutes, but no clear scoring chances materialized as the match came to a choppy and contentious end.

After seeing its three-game undefeated streak snapped, Indy Eleven (3-6-3, 12 pts. in Fall; 3-12-7, 16 pts overall) will return to its home of IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium next Saturday, September 27, to face the Carolina RailHawks (5-6-1, 16 pts. in Fall; 9-9-3, 30 pts. overall).  Kickoff for “College Night” is set for 7:30 p.m. for a match that can be seen live on MyINDY-TV 23.  Tickets for the match are limited but remain available and can be purchased at www.indyeleven.com.

 

NASL Fall Season Week 11 – Fulltime Recap

Fort Lauderdale Strikers  2 : 1  Indy Eleven

Lockhart Stadium – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Attendance: 3,112

 

                                                1          2          FT

Fort Lauderdale Strikers        1          1          2

Indy Eleven                            1          0          1

 

Scoring Summary:

FTL – Fafa Picault 9 (Darnell King 3) 1’

IND – Jaime Frias 1 (Cory Miller 1) 39’

FTL – Martin Nunez 5 (Shawn Chin 1) 55’

 

Discipline Summary:

FTL – Justin Chaves (caution) 20’

FTL – Chris Nurse (caution) 70’

IND – Kleberson (caution) 75’

IND – Jaime Frias (caution) 79’

IND – Dylan Mares (caution) 90’

FTL – Darnell King (caution) 90+’

 

Statistics                    FTL        IND

Shots                           14          10

Shots on Goal               7            3

Fouls                           10          15

Corners                        7            5

Saves                            2            5

Offside                         4            1

Possession %               55          45

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-5-1) – Kristian Nicht; A.J. Corrado, Cory Miller, Fejiro Okiomah, Jaime Frias; Jermaine Johnson, Victor Pineda, Kléberson (captain) (Don Smart 77’), Sergio Peña (Dylan Mares 45’),  Blake Smith; Jhulliam (Mike Ambersley 65’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Erick Norales, Corby Moore, Marco Franco

 

Fort Lauderdale Strikers (4-5-1) – Kamil Contofalsky; Darnell King, Justin Chavez, Stefan Antonijevic, Ivan Guerrero (captain); Pecka, James Marcelin, Shawn Chin (Aly Alberto Hassan 71’), Mark Anderson (Jenison Brito 81’), Martin Nunez (Chris Nurse 64’); Fafa Picault

Unused Substitutes: David Meves (GK), Stephane Guillaume, Manny Gonzalez, Ronaldo Vieira

Officials: Referee-Marcos DeOliveira; Assistant Referees-Jose J. Da Silva, Matthew Miscannon; Fourth Official- Rubiel Vazquez

Fulltime Recap – Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2 : 1 Indy Eleven

Eleven Defender Jaime Frias Nets First Goal, but Indy Can’t Keep Undefeated Streak Going

 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Saturday, September 20, 2014) –  A goal in the first minute from Fafà Picault got the ball rolling for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a 2-1 victory against Indy Eleven at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night.  Indy Eleven defender Jaime Frias’s first professional goal equalized for the visitors before halftime, but Martin Nuñez grabbed the winning goal in the second half to keep the Strikers in the hunt for a place in The Championship.

After scoring first in each of its last two games, Indy Eleven would be taken aback quickly, as it took just 28 seconds for the Strikers to get on the scoreboard. Picault got on the end of a low cross from Darnell King to notch his team-leading ninth goal of the year with the fastest goal in NASL action this year.  New Indy Eleven forward Jhulliam, making his debut in the starting lineup tonight, nearly drew the visitors even just as quickly, but saw Strikers goalkeeper Kamil Contofalsky thwart his low effort in the 2nd minute.

King nearly grabbed his second assist of the night in the 15th minute, but Mark Anderson’s effort from just inside the box struck the bar.  After that point Indy Eleven would slowly start to see the run of play turn in its favor, and would eventually score in the 39th minute. A corner kick to the back post was headed across goal by Cory Miller for fellow defender Frias to redirect past Contofalsky with a wicked volleyed effort at the near post.

The Strikers started the second half with similar intensity to the first. Within the first five minutes of the restart Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht was called into action twice to deny Picault and watched as a Nuñez’ effort dragged just wide of goal.

But Nuñez made no mistake with his next attempt in the 55th minute, as a clever combination play from Picault and Shawn Chin in midfield led to Chin slipping Nuñez behind the defense and through on goal. Nuñez rounded Nicht and finished just past a backtracking Dylan Mares and into an empty net to put the Strikers in front 2-1.

Both teams made changes as the Eleven searched for an equalizer. Forward Mike Ambersley and midfielder Don Smart maintained their appearances streaks – both now appearing in each of the team’s 21 matches – and came on to give Indy a push in the final 25 minutes, but no clear scoring chances materialized as the match came to a choppy and contentious end.

After seeing its three-game undefeated streak snapped, Indy Eleven (3-6-3, 12 pts. in Fall; 3-12-7, 16 pts overall) will return to its home of IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium next Saturday, September 27, to face the Carolina RailHawks (5-6-1, 16 pts. in Fall; 9-9-3, 30 pts. overall).  Kickoff for “College Night” is set for 7:30 p.m. for a match that can be seen live on MyINDY-TV 23.  Tickets for the match are limited but remain available and can be purchased at www.indyeleven.com.

 

NASL Fall Season Week 11 – Fulltime Recap

Fort Lauderdale Strikers  2 : 1  Indy Eleven

Lockhart Stadium – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Attendance: 3,112

 

                                                1          2          FT

Fort Lauderdale Strikers        1          1          2

Indy Eleven                            1          0          1

 

Scoring Summary:

FTL – Fafa Picault 9 (Darnell King 3) 1’

IND – Jaime Frias 1 (Cory Miller 1) 39’

FTL – Martin Nunez 5 (Shawn Chin 1) 55’

 

Discipline Summary:

FTL – Justin Chaves (caution) 20’

FTL – Chris Nurse (caution) 70’

IND – Kleberson (caution) 75’

IND – Jaime Frias (caution) 79’

IND – Dylan Mares (caution) 90’

FTL – Darnell King (caution) 90+’

 

Statistics                    FTL        IND

Shots                           14          10

Shots on Goal               7            3

Fouls                           10          15

Corners                        7            5

Saves                            2            5

Offside                         4            1

Possession %               55          45

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-5-1) – Kristian Nicht; A.J. Corrado, Cory Miller, Fejiro Okiomah, Jaime Frias; Jermaine Johnson, Victor Pineda, Kléberson (captain) (Don Smart 77’), Sergio Peña (Dylan Mares 45’),  Blake Smith; Jhulliam (Mike Ambersley 65’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Erick Norales, Corby Moore, Marco Franco

 

Fort Lauderdale Strikers (4-5-1) – Kamil Contofalsky; Darnell King, Justin Chavez, Stefan Antonijevic, Ivan Guerrero (captain); Pecka, James Marcelin, Shawn Chin (Aly Alberto Hassan 71’), Mark Anderson (Jenison Brito 81’), Martin Nunez (Chris Nurse 64’); Fafa Picault

Unused Substitutes: David Meves (GK), Stephane Guillaume, Manny Gonzalez, Ronaldo Vieira

Officials: Referee-Marcos DeOliveira; Assistant Referees-Jose J. Da Silva, Matthew Miscannon; Fourth Official- Rubiel Vazquez

Fulltime Recap – Indy Eleven 1 : 1  FC Edmonton

Indy Eleven went up early but remained winless at home after tying 1-1 against FC Edmonton in front of a sold out crowd of 10,567 fans at Carroll Stadium. The home side scored first on a textbook counter finished off by midfielder Victor Pineda in the 17th minute, but the pleasure of being ahead only lasted eight minutes, as FC Edmonton was quick to answer back through a Neal Hlavaty free kick tally. The match closed the season series between the two teams, leaving them tied with one win each and one tie.

FC Edmonton started the game strong, taking control of the ball for the first 10 minutes. On the 16th minute Indy Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht made an amazing save off a backheel shot by Neil Hlavaty in what turned out to be a crucial play for the Hoosier State side. After the save, the home team engineered a deathly counter attack that was finished off by Pineda, giving Indy Eleven the game’s first goal for just the fifth time in 20 contests.

After the first goal, the game opened up and became an up-and-down intense for the remainder of the half. It was in the 25th minute that Edmonton was awarded a free kick 27 yards from goal, and they capitalized on the set piece opportunity. Hlavaty scored a magnificent goal, sending the ball to Nicht’s right and just inside the left post to even things up at 1-1.

The Canadian side regained their confidence with the goal and, in the 37th minute, saw captain Albert Watson hit the left post after a series of rebounds off a corner kick. Indy Eleven responded with another great counter by midfielder Blake Smith, who put up a dangerous cross for Pineda, but Edmonton’s goalkeeper John Smits had no trouble handling the header.

Indy started the second half strong, showing a sense of urgency to please the tireless home crowd. In a great display of skill, forward Jermaine Johnson left multiple defenders behind as he sprinted down the left side, only to be stopped by Smits when he finally shot for goal.

Edmonton would launch an aggressive attack, and in the 65th minute Hlavaty missed a great chance of putting his team ahead by shooting weakly after being sprung behind the Eleven backline. The rest of the game lacked the rhythm of the first half, as three yellow cards slowed the pace of the game during the last 20 minutes.

The game’s last chance quality chance came after Kléberson fouled Milton Blanco just outside the box.  Hlavaty fired a vicious shot on frame again, but Nicht made a brilliant save at his left post, saving a point for his team.

With the draw, Indy Eleven (3-5-3, 12 pts. in Fall; 3-11-7, 16 pts overall) stayed in eighth place in the NASL Fall Season standings, its 12 points placing tied with next weekend’s opposition, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (3-5-3, 12 pts. in Fall; 7-9-4, 25 pts. overall).  Kickoff between the two sides at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., next Saturday, Sept. 20, is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live online via the NASLLive.com streaming video package (subscription-based).

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER:

Overall thoughts on the match:

“I found that in the first half we were very bright.; we had really strong performances. Victor Pineda obviously had a great game, I’m very happy for him on his first professional goal.  Sergio Pena was strong, Kristian Nicht was strong.

“We were solid throughout the second half, but it became a little bit more defensive, both teams were sitting back a little bit. We thought we would just put some fresh legs in and try to change up the look a little bit, but they came in and defended well and made it difficult for us.”

On the play of A.J. Corrado:

“A.J. covered a lot of ground, as he did in Atlanta [last week]. He did tremendous for us in Atlanta, so he earned himself the starting role tonight. Again just solid, steady, and kept everything clean.”

 

FC EDMONTON HEAD COACH COLIN MILLER

On FC Edmonton’s performance:

“Overall I’m really pleased. We came here to get three points and I think it was an exciting game. Both teams were trying to win the game, which was excellent. We were missing five starters here tonight, so the guys that subbed them came in and did a very good job for us.”

On how gaining just one point affects them:

“Well it’s still very much in our hands, and we’ve got two home games coming up. This point can become very powerful if we win those home games.”

On captain Albert Watson playing tough on Indy’s Jermaine Johnson:

“That’s why he’s one of the best in the NASL, in my opinion. He’s just a born winner, and he plays like that. You know Johnson has been electric a lot in the past few weeks and has fantastic pace.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 10 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  1 : 1  FC Edmonton

Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Attendance: 10,567

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                            1          0          1

FC Edmonton                         1          0          1

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Victor Pineda (unassisted) 16’

FCE – Neil Hlavaty (unassisted) 25’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Jaime Frias (caution) 70’

FCE – Albert Watson (caution) 79’

IND – Kléberson (caution) 82’

 

Statistics                     IND      FCE

Shots                            16        11

Shots on Goal              5          5

Fouls                            12        13

Corners                         4          7

Saves                             4          4

Offside                           0           3

Possession %            51        49

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; A.J. Corrado, Cory Miller, Fejiro Okiomah, Jaime Frias; Victor Pineda, Kléberson (captain), Sergio Peña,  Blake Smith (Don Smart 77’); Jermaine Johnson (Ben Spencer 88’),  Mike Ambersley (Jhulliam 77’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson, Marco Franco, Dylan Mares, Corby Moore

 

FC Edmonton (4-4-2) – John Smits; Beto Navarro, Albert Watson (captain), Mallan Roberts, Kareem Moses; Michael Nonni, Neil Hlavaty, Milton Blanco, Lance Laing (Horace James 90’); Chad Burt (Hanson Boakai 85’), Tomi Ameobi (Frank Jonke 71’)

Unused Substitutes: Tyson Farago, Massimo Mirabelli.

 

Officials: Referee-Marcos DeOliveira; Assistant Referees-Joshua Brooks, Andrew Bigelow; Fourth Official- Aaron Hernandez

Fulltime Recap – Indy Eleven 1 : 1  FC Edmonton

Indy Eleven went up early but remained winless at home after tying 1-1 against FC Edmonton in front of a sold out crowd of 10,567 fans at Carroll Stadium. The home side scored first on a textbook counter finished off by midfielder Victor Pineda in the 17th minute, but the pleasure of being ahead only lasted eight minutes, as FC Edmonton was quick to answer back through a Neal Hlavaty free kick tally. The match closed the season series between the two teams, leaving them tied with one win each and one tie.

FC Edmonton started the game strong, taking control of the ball for the first 10 minutes. On the 16th minute Indy Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht made an amazing save off a backheel shot by Neil Hlavaty in what turned out to be a crucial play for the Hoosier State side. After the save, the home team engineered a deathly counter attack that was finished off by Pineda, giving Indy Eleven the game’s first goal for just the fifth time in 20 contests.

After the first goal, the game opened up and became an up-and-down intense for the remainder of the half. It was in the 25th minute that Edmonton was awarded a free kick 27 yards from goal, and they capitalized on the set piece opportunity. Hlavaty scored a magnificent goal, sending the ball to Nicht’s right and just inside the left post to even things up at 1-1.

The Canadian side regained their confidence with the goal and, in the 37th minute, saw captain Albert Watson hit the left post after a series of rebounds off a corner kick. Indy Eleven responded with another great counter by midfielder Blake Smith, who put up a dangerous cross for Pineda, but Edmonton’s goalkeeper John Smits had no trouble handling the header.

Indy started the second half strong, showing a sense of urgency to please the tireless home crowd. In a great display of skill, forward Jermaine Johnson left multiple defenders behind as he sprinted down the left side, only to be stopped by Smits when he finally shot for goal.

Edmonton would launch an aggressive attack, and in the 65th minute Hlavaty missed a great chance of putting his team ahead by shooting weakly after being sprung behind the Eleven backline. The rest of the game lacked the rhythm of the first half, as three yellow cards slowed the pace of the game during the last 20 minutes.

The game’s last chance quality chance came after Kléberson fouled Milton Blanco just outside the box.  Hlavaty fired a vicious shot on frame again, but Nicht made a brilliant save at his left post, saving a point for his team.

With the draw, Indy Eleven (3-5-3, 12 pts. in Fall; 3-11-7, 16 pts overall) stayed in eighth place in the NASL Fall Season standings, its 12 points placing tied with next weekend’s opposition, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (3-5-3, 12 pts. in Fall; 7-9-4, 25 pts. overall).  Kickoff between the two sides at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., next Saturday, Sept. 20, is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live online via the NASLLive.com streaming video package (subscription-based).

 

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER:

Overall thoughts on the match:

“I found that in the first half we were very bright.; we had really strong performances. Victor Pineda obviously had a great game, I’m very happy for him on his first professional goal.  Sergio Pena was strong, Kristian Nicht was strong.

“We were solid throughout the second half, but it became a little bit more defensive, both teams were sitting back a little bit. We thought we would just put some fresh legs in and try to change up the look a little bit, but they came in and defended well and made it difficult for us.”

On the play of A.J. Corrado:

“A.J. covered a lot of ground, as he did in Atlanta [last week]. He did tremendous for us in Atlanta, so he earned himself the starting role tonight. Again just solid, steady, and kept everything clean.”

 

FC EDMONTON HEAD COACH COLIN MILLER

On FC Edmonton’s performance:

“Overall I’m really pleased. We came here to get three points and I think it was an exciting game. Both teams were trying to win the game, which was excellent. We were missing five starters here tonight, so the guys that subbed them came in and did a very good job for us.”

On how gaining just one point affects them:

“Well it’s still very much in our hands, and we’ve got two home games coming up. This point can become very powerful if we win those home games.”

On captain Albert Watson playing tough on Indy’s Jermaine Johnson:

“That’s why he’s one of the best in the NASL, in my opinion. He’s just a born winner, and he plays like that. You know Johnson has been electric a lot in the past few weeks and has fantastic pace.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 10 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  1 : 1  FC Edmonton

Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Attendance: 10,567

 

                                                1          2          FT

Indy Eleven                            1          0          1

FC Edmonton                         1          0          1

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Victor Pineda (unassisted) 16’

FCE – Neil Hlavaty (unassisted) 25’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Jaime Frias (caution) 70’

FCE – Albert Watson (caution) 79’

IND – Kléberson (caution) 82’

 

Statistics                     IND      FCE

Shots                            16        11

Shots on Goal              5          5

Fouls                            12        13

Corners                         4          7

Saves                             4          4

Offside                           0           3

Possession %            51        49

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; A.J. Corrado, Cory Miller, Fejiro Okiomah, Jaime Frias; Victor Pineda, Kléberson (captain), Sergio Peña,  Blake Smith (Don Smart 77’); Jermaine Johnson (Ben Spencer 88’),  Mike Ambersley (Jhulliam 77’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson, Marco Franco, Dylan Mares, Corby Moore

 

FC Edmonton (4-4-2) – John Smits; Beto Navarro, Albert Watson (captain), Mallan Roberts, Kareem Moses; Michael Nonni, Neil Hlavaty, Milton Blanco, Lance Laing (Horace James 90’); Chad Burt (Hanson Boakai 85’), Tomi Ameobi (Frank Jonke 71’)

Unused Substitutes: Tyson Farago, Massimo Mirabelli.

 

Officials: Referee-Marcos DeOliveira; Assistant Referees-Joshua Brooks, Andrew Bigelow; Fourth Official- Aaron Hernandez

Fulltime Recap –  Atlanta Silverbacks  1 : 2  Indy Eleven

ATLANTA (Saturday, September 6, 2014) – Indy Eleven added to its road resume tonight against the Atlanta Silverbacks, using first half goals from forward Jermaine Johnson and midfielder Blake Smith to build a lead and hold on for a 2-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 5,000 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.  Silverbacks midfielder Blair Gavin tallied for the home side just before the halftime break in a match that closed out the season series between the two clubs and snapped Indy Eleven’s six-match winless streak in the process.

“Our defenders worked extremely hard tonight with the offensive threat that Atlanta proposed to us,” said Indy Eleven coach Juergen Sommer. “We had some of our midfielders step back and defend in the second half, so all credit to Atlanta. They really pushed us to physical extremes tonight and our guys stood up to the task and dug their heels in and defended well. Very pleased with the result tonight.”

After an opening 15 minutes that would see both sides trade chances of equal quality, it was Indy Eleven that would get on the board first through Johnson.  The Jamaican would be played behind the Atlanta backline by a Sergio Peña through ball, which he carried just into the area before slotting a low shot inside the far left post to give the visitors the early 1-0 advantage.  Indy Eleven would receive a bit of bad news shortly thereafter, when defender Kyle Hyland was forced from the match due to injury and replaced by A.J. Corrado in the 17th minute.

Atlanta found ample attacking opportunities down the flanks as the half continued on, but saw several shots miss frame and dangerous crosses cleared away by a pieced together Eleven backline that included debutant Cory Miller and Corrado, a midfielder by trade.  Atlanta would pay for a missed chance off a corner kick in the 37th minute, when Smith finished off a textbook counter attack, knocking home Mike Ambersley’s early cross to double the Indy Eleven advantage to 2-0.

Atlanta fought to the end of the first half and was rewarded in the 45th minute with Gavin’s first goal of the season.  After a foul outside the corner of the Indy Eleven penalty area, Pablo Cruz served into the heart of the area, where an unmarked Gavin redirected home to cut the Indy Eleven lead to 2-1 heading into the halftime break.

Just five minutes into the second half Indy Eleven would have a golden opportunity to go back up a pair when Edgar Espinoza handed down Peña’s cross inside the area to set up a penalty kick. However, Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would be denied from the spot for the first time in six tries this season, as Silverbacks ‘keeper Eric Ati dove right and knocked the Brazilian’s attempt away.

Atlanta would see more and more of the ball as the second half ticked away, with midfielder Kwadwo Poku often serving as the catalyst and giving the home side hope down the right flank. However, Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht was on the spot when he needed to be, making six saves on the night, including three at his near post in the final 15 minutes to keep the scoreline at 2-1 for the visitors. 

With tonight's result, Indy Eleven moves to eighth place in the NASL Fall Season standings on 11 points from a 3W-5L-2T record (3-10-6, 15 pts. overall).  Indy Eleven will look to build on its third win of the season – all of which have come on the road during the Fall Season – when it returns home next Saturday, Sept. 13, to take on FC Edmonton (4-4-2, 14 pts. in Fall; 6-9-4, 22 pts.) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Carroll Stadium.  Tickets for the match, which will include the evening’s Hispanic Heritage Night (Nuestra Noche con Los Eleven) festivities, remain available and can be purchased via www.indyeleven.com.

 

NASL Fall Season Week 9 – Fulltime Recap

Atlanta Silverbacks  1 : 2  Indy Eleven

Atlanta Silverbacks Park  – Atlanta, GA

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Attendance: 5,000 (sellout)

 

                                                             1              2              FT

Atlanta Silverbacks                         1              0              1

Indy Eleven                                        2              0              2

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Jermaine Johnson 2 (Sergio Peña 1) 15’

IND – Blake Smith 2 (Mike Ambersley 3) 37’

ATL – Blair Gavin 1 (Pablo Cruz 3) 45’

 

Discipline Summary:

ATL – Kwadwo Poku (caution) 47’

IND – Victor Pineda (caution) 59’

IND – Mike Ambersley (caution) 61’

IND – Jaime Frias (caution) 77’

 

Statistics                              ATL         IND

Shots                                     18           15

Shots on Goal                      7              9

Fouls                                     12           13

Corners                                8              1

Saves                                    7              6

Offside                                 4              3

Possession %                   53           47

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Kyle Hyland (A.J. Corrado 17’), Fejiro Okiomah, Cory Miller, Jaime Frias (Don Smart 78’); Victor Pineda, Sergio Peña, Kleberson (c) (Dylan Mares 71’), Blake Smith; Jermaine Johnson, Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Jhulliam, Corby Moore,  Ben Spencer

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

Atlanta Silverbacks (4-4-2) – Eric Ati; Borfor Carr (Kellen Gulley 73’), Ryan Roushandel (Ramiro Canovas 56’), Edgar Espinoza, Mike Randolph, Blair Gavin, Kwadwo Poku, Junior Sandoval, Alex Harlley (Ferrety Sousa 80’), Pablo Cruz, Jaime Chavez.

Unused Substitutes: Jesus Gonzalez, Thomas Hunter (GK), Lucas Paulini, Brandon Poltronieri
Head Coach: Jason Smith

 

Officials: Referee-Robert Sibiga; Assistant Referees- William Hale, Khadie Sabara; Fourth Official- Kyle Whitley

Fulltime Recap –  Atlanta Silverbacks  1 : 2  Indy Eleven

ATLANTA (Saturday, September 6, 2014) – Indy Eleven added to its road resume tonight against the Atlanta Silverbacks, using first half goals from forward Jermaine Johnson and midfielder Blake Smith to build a lead and hold on for a 2-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 5,000 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.  Silverbacks midfielder Blair Gavin tallied for the home side just before the halftime break in a match that closed out the season series between the two clubs and snapped Indy Eleven’s six-match winless streak in the process.

“Our defenders worked extremely hard tonight with the offensive threat that Atlanta proposed to us,” said Indy Eleven coach Juergen Sommer. “We had some of our midfielders step back and defend in the second half, so all credit to Atlanta. They really pushed us to physical extremes tonight and our guys stood up to the task and dug their heels in and defended well. Very pleased with the result tonight.”

After an opening 15 minutes that would see both sides trade chances of equal quality, it was Indy Eleven that would get on the board first through Johnson.  The Jamaican would be played behind the Atlanta backline by a Sergio Peña through ball, which he carried just into the area before slotting a low shot inside the far left post to give the visitors the early 1-0 advantage.  Indy Eleven would receive a bit of bad news shortly thereafter, when defender Kyle Hyland was forced from the match due to injury and replaced by A.J. Corrado in the 17th minute.

Atlanta found ample attacking opportunities down the flanks as the half continued on, but saw several shots miss frame and dangerous crosses cleared away by a pieced together Eleven backline that included debutant Cory Miller and Corrado, a midfielder by trade.  Atlanta would pay for a missed chance off a corner kick in the 37th minute, when Smith finished off a textbook counter attack, knocking home Mike Ambersley’s early cross to double the Indy Eleven advantage to 2-0.

Atlanta fought to the end of the first half and was rewarded in the 45th minute with Gavin’s first goal of the season.  After a foul outside the corner of the Indy Eleven penalty area, Pablo Cruz served into the heart of the area, where an unmarked Gavin redirected home to cut the Indy Eleven lead to 2-1 heading into the halftime break.

Just five minutes into the second half Indy Eleven would have a golden opportunity to go back up a pair when Edgar Espinoza handed down Peña’s cross inside the area to set up a penalty kick. However, Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would be denied from the spot for the first time in six tries this season, as Silverbacks ‘keeper Eric Ati dove right and knocked the Brazilian’s attempt away.

Atlanta would see more and more of the ball as the second half ticked away, with midfielder Kwadwo Poku often serving as the catalyst and giving the home side hope down the right flank. However, Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht was on the spot when he needed to be, making six saves on the night, including three at his near post in the final 15 minutes to keep the scoreline at 2-1 for the visitors. 

With tonight’s result, Indy Eleven moves to eighth place in the NASL Fall Season standings on 11 points from a 3W-5L-2T record (3-10-6, 15 pts. overall).  Indy Eleven will look to build on its third win of the season – all of which have come on the road during the Fall Season – when it returns home next Saturday, Sept. 13, to take on FC Edmonton (4-4-2, 14 pts. in Fall; 6-9-4, 22 pts.) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Carroll Stadium.  Tickets for the match, which will include the evening’s Hispanic Heritage Night (Nuestra Noche con Los Eleven) festivities, remain available and can be purchased via www.indyeleven.com.

 

NASL Fall Season Week 9 – Fulltime Recap

Atlanta Silverbacks  1 : 2  Indy Eleven

Atlanta Silverbacks Park  – Atlanta, GA

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Attendance: 5,000 (sellout)

 

                                                             1              2              FT

Atlanta Silverbacks                         1              0              1

Indy Eleven                                        2              0              2

 

Scoring Summary:

IND – Jermaine Johnson 2 (Sergio Peña 1) 15’

IND – Blake Smith 2 (Mike Ambersley 3) 37’

ATL – Blair Gavin 1 (Pablo Cruz 3) 45’

 

Discipline Summary:

ATL – Kwadwo Poku (caution) 47’

IND – Victor Pineda (caution) 59’

IND – Mike Ambersley (caution) 61’

IND – Jaime Frias (caution) 77’

 

Statistics                              ATL         IND

Shots                                     18           15

Shots on Goal                      7              9

Fouls                                     12           13

Corners                                8              1

Saves                                    7              6

Offside                                 4              3

Possession %                   53           47

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Kyle Hyland (A.J. Corrado 17’), Fejiro Okiomah, Cory Miller, Jaime Frias (Don Smart 78’); Victor Pineda, Sergio Peña, Kleberson (c) (Dylan Mares 71’), Blake Smith; Jermaine Johnson, Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Jhulliam, Corby Moore,  Ben Spencer

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

Atlanta Silverbacks (4-4-2) – Eric Ati; Borfor Carr (Kellen Gulley 73’), Ryan Roushandel (Ramiro Canovas 56’), Edgar Espinoza, Mike Randolph, Blair Gavin, Kwadwo Poku, Junior Sandoval, Alex Harlley (Ferrety Sousa 80’), Pablo Cruz, Jaime Chavez.

Unused Substitutes: Jesus Gonzalez, Thomas Hunter (GK), Lucas Paulini, Brandon Poltronieri
Head Coach: Jason Smith

 

Officials: Referee-Robert Sibiga; Assistant Referees- William Hale, Khadie Sabara; Fourth Official- Kyle Whitley

Fulltime Recap –  Indy Eleven  2 : 2 New York Cosmos

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 30, 2014) – After dropping several points at home late in matches, Indy Eleven flipped the script tonight against the New York Cosmos, as forward Jermaine Johnson’s 93rd minute equalizer gave the Indiana side a point from a 2-2 draw with the defending NASL champion in front of a sellout crowd of 10,659 at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium.  Johnson’s first goal with Indy Eleven capped the home side’s rally back from a two-goal deficit with a half hour to play after the Cosmos capitalized on a pair of chances to go up 2-0 into the halftime break.

The Cosmos would waste little time getting on the board, as the visitors went up 1-0 through midfielder David Diosa on the stroke of the 6th minute.  With ample space on the right flank, midfiedler Andres Flores was able to pick out Diosa’s ghosting run through the box, and he’d rise with little resistance to nod the effort to the far post to move the scoreboard early.

New York would continue to have the better of the chances through the first 20 minutes, with midfielder Danny Mwanga featuring prominently for his new side.  While the Eleven would gain more of a foothold over the final 20 minutes of the half, it was Mwanga helping New York double their lead just before the break, as he held off two defenders on a break upfield just long enough to bring Mads Stokkelien into the play. The Norweigian striker made no mistake with a blistering first-time shot past Eleven netminder Kristian Nicht to take the air out of Carroll Stadium and give New York a 2-0 lead.

Indy Eleven would exit the locker room with renewed energy, and the increased workrate would pay off in the 61st minute with Mike Ambersley’s sixth goal of the season.  After nearly losing the ball on a counter attack on the right side, midfielder Victor Pineda would regain his touch and fire off a low cross from the right endline that eluded Cosmos goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck and left an oncoming Ambersley with the easiest of finishes on the doorstep, slicing the Cosmos advantage to 2-1.

The affair would get choppy – and chippy – at times, and New York had its fair share of chances to put the game out of reach late, most notable when midfielder Joseph Nane saw one shot from the top of the six saved by Nicht before pushing the rebounded attempt wide right. That left the door open for Johnson’s late equalizer, set up by a looping cross from the left side by midfielder Blake Smith. After gathering cleanly his first touch, Johnson chipped a shot from 25 yards over an onrushing Zobeck, who could only look back and watch the Jamaican’s finish even the proceedings at 2-2.

After salvaging a point in front of its 10th consecutive sellout crowd at Carroll Stadium, Indy Eleven (2-5-2, 8 pts. in Fall Season; 2-10-6, 12 pts. overall) will take to the road for the next round of NASL Fall Season play next Saturday, September 6, when it heads south to take on the Atlanta Silverbacks (3-3-2, 11 pts. in Fall Season; 6-8-3, 21 pts. overall). Kickoff from Silverbacks Park in Atlanta is set for 7:30 p.m. for a contest that fans can follow live via the NASLLive.com streaming video package or at one of several Indy Eleven Watch Parties held at establishments across the Hoosier State – visit www.indyeleven.com for more details on those locations.

 

Indy Eleven Head Coach Juergen Sommer

“We’re really pleased with the result and the effort from our players.  At halftime, we had a lot to talk about, and we came out with nothing to lose. We knew we needed to keep the crowd in it and play with energy, and once [Mike] Ambersley scored, we really felt that we could get the equalizer.”
 

New York Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese

“We need to do a better job of maintaining the lead, but give credit to Indy because they made it difficult for us.  We created some chances at the end and we could have capitalized and finished the game off, but we didn’t get the job done.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 8 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  2 : 2  New York Cosmos

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Attendance: 10,659 (sellout)

 

                                                             1              2              FT

Indy Eleven                                        0              2              2             

New York Cosmos                           2              0              2

 

Scoring Summary:

NYC – David Diosa (Andres Flores) 6’

NYC – Mads Stoekkelien (Danny Mwanga) 42’

IND – Mike Ambersley (Victor Pineda) 61’

IND – Jermaine Johnson (Blake Smith) 93+’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Kyle Hyland (caution) 33’

NYC – David Diosa (caution) 50’

NYC – Danny Szetela (caution) 57’

 

Statistics                              IND        NYC

Shots                                     11           18

Shots on Goal                      4             11

Fouls                                     10           16

Corners                                 3              2

Saves                                     9              2

Offside                                   5              0

Possession %                     53           47

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Kyle Hyland, Fejiro Okiomah, Erick Norales, Jaime Frias; Victor Pineda (Don Smart 71’), Dylan Mares (Ben Spencer 61’), Kléberson (c), Blake Smith; Jermaine Johnson, Mike Ambersley (Sergio Pena 85’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore, Cory Miller

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

New York Cosmos (4-5-1) – Kyle Zobeck; Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes (c), Jimmy Ockford, Ayoze; Andres Flores (Hunter Gorskie 75’), Danny Szetela (Marcos Senna 82’), Joseph Nane, Danny Mwanga, David Diosa (Connor Lade 64’); Mads Stoekkelien

Unused Substitutes: Hans Denissen, Steven Diaz, Jemal Johnson, James Nealis
Head Coach: Giovanni Savarese

 

Officials: Referee- Sorin Stoika; Assistant Referees- Ali Banane, Khalaf Al-Latayfeh; Fourth Official- Nikola Aleksic

Fulltime Recap –  Indy Eleven  2 : 2 New York Cosmos

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 30, 2014) – After dropping several points at home late in matches, Indy Eleven flipped the script tonight against the New York Cosmos, as forward Jermaine Johnson’s 93rd minute equalizer gave the Indiana side a point from a 2-2 draw with the defending NASL champion in front of a sellout crowd of 10,659 at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium.  Johnson’s first goal with Indy Eleven capped the home side’s rally back from a two-goal deficit with a half hour to play after the Cosmos capitalized on a pair of chances to go up 2-0 into the halftime break.

The Cosmos would waste little time getting on the board, as the visitors went up 1-0 through midfielder David Diosa on the stroke of the 6th minute.  With ample space on the right flank, midfiedler Andres Flores was able to pick out Diosa’s ghosting run through the box, and he’d rise with little resistance to nod the effort to the far post to move the scoreboard early.

New York would continue to have the better of the chances through the first 20 minutes, with midfielder Danny Mwanga featuring prominently for his new side.  While the Eleven would gain more of a foothold over the final 20 minutes of the half, it was Mwanga helping New York double their lead just before the break, as he held off two defenders on a break upfield just long enough to bring Mads Stokkelien into the play. The Norweigian striker made no mistake with a blistering first-time shot past Eleven netminder Kristian Nicht to take the air out of Carroll Stadium and give New York a 2-0 lead.

Indy Eleven would exit the locker room with renewed energy, and the increased workrate would pay off in the 61st minute with Mike Ambersley’s sixth goal of the season.  After nearly losing the ball on a counter attack on the right side, midfielder Victor Pineda would regain his touch and fire off a low cross from the right endline that eluded Cosmos goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck and left an oncoming Ambersley with the easiest of finishes on the doorstep, slicing the Cosmos advantage to 2-1.

The affair would get choppy – and chippy – at times, and New York had its fair share of chances to put the game out of reach late, most notable when midfielder Joseph Nane saw one shot from the top of the six saved by Nicht before pushing the rebounded attempt wide right. That left the door open for Johnson’s late equalizer, set up by a looping cross from the left side by midfielder Blake Smith. After gathering cleanly his first touch, Johnson chipped a shot from 25 yards over an onrushing Zobeck, who could only look back and watch the Jamaican’s finish even the proceedings at 2-2.

After salvaging a point in front of its 10th consecutive sellout crowd at Carroll Stadium, Indy Eleven (2-5-2, 8 pts. in Fall Season; 2-10-6, 12 pts. overall) will take to the road for the next round of NASL Fall Season play next Saturday, September 6, when it heads south to take on the Atlanta Silverbacks (3-3-2, 11 pts. in Fall Season; 6-8-3, 21 pts. overall). Kickoff from Silverbacks Park in Atlanta is set for 7:30 p.m. for a contest that fans can follow live via the NASLLive.com streaming video package or at one of several Indy Eleven Watch Parties held at establishments across the Hoosier State – visit www.indyeleven.com for more details on those locations.

 

Indy Eleven Head Coach Juergen Sommer

“We’re really pleased with the result and the effort from our players.  At halftime, we had a lot to talk about, and we came out with nothing to lose. We knew we needed to keep the crowd in it and play with energy, and once [Mike] Ambersley scored, we really felt that we could get the equalizer.”
 

New York Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese

“We need to do a better job of maintaining the lead, but give credit to Indy because they made it difficult for us.  We created some chances at the end and we could have capitalized and finished the game off, but we didn’t get the job done.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 8 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  2 : 2  New York Cosmos

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Attendance: 10,659 (sellout)

 

                                                             1              2              FT

Indy Eleven                                        0              2              2             

New York Cosmos                           2              0              2

 

Scoring Summary:

NYC – David Diosa (Andres Flores) 6’

NYC – Mads Stoekkelien (Danny Mwanga) 42’

IND – Mike Ambersley (Victor Pineda) 61’

IND – Jermaine Johnson (Blake Smith) 93+’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Kyle Hyland (caution) 33’

NYC – David Diosa (caution) 50’

NYC – Danny Szetela (caution) 57’

 

Statistics                              IND        NYC

Shots                                     11           18

Shots on Goal                      4             11

Fouls                                     10           16

Corners                                 3              2

Saves                                     9              2

Offside                                   5              0

Possession %                     53           47

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht; Kyle Hyland, Fejiro Okiomah, Erick Norales, Jaime Frias; Victor Pineda (Don Smart 71’), Dylan Mares (Ben Spencer 61’), Kléberson (c), Blake Smith; Jermaine Johnson, Mike Ambersley (Sergio Pena 85’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore, Cory Miller

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

New York Cosmos (4-5-1) – Kyle Zobeck; Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes (c), Jimmy Ockford, Ayoze; Andres Flores (Hunter Gorskie 75’), Danny Szetela (Marcos Senna 82’), Joseph Nane, Danny Mwanga, David Diosa (Connor Lade 64’); Mads Stoekkelien

Unused Substitutes: Hans Denissen, Steven Diaz, Jemal Johnson, James Nealis
Head Coach: Giovanni Savarese

 

Officials: Referee- Sorin Stoika; Assistant Referees- Ali Banane, Khalaf Al-Latayfeh; Fourth Official- Nikola Aleksic

Fulltime Recap –  Indy Eleven  1 : 2  Ottawa Fury FC

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 23, 2014) – After sticking out a two-hour, fifteen-minute weather delay, Indy Eleven and Ottawa Fury FC provided a dramatic continuation of their “NASL Class of 2014” series, with Ottawa midfielder Sinisa Upiparipovic providing the decisive blow in the 86th minute of Fury FC’s 2-1 victory at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium.  Ottawa would go up in the 70th minute from the penalty spot through forward Tom Heinemann, but the Eleven wouldn’t go quietly, with substitute midfielder Don Smart’s 84th minute strike setting the stage for the wild finish in the Circle City.

With the game starting at 9:52 p.m. local time, both teams clearly had their energy bottled up as the game started at a break-neck pace, with Indy Eleven forward Jermaine Johnson setting the tone with a blast from distance that missed just wide 90 seconds in.  

Fury FC had a golden chance to go ahead early after Indy Eleven midfielder Sergio Pena was deemed to have brought down Ottawa’s Sinisa Upiparipovic in the corner of the area in the 8thminute. However, Indy Eleven ‘keeper Kristian Nicht dove well to his left to stop Nicki Patterson’s penalty kick to keep things scoreless.  The Eleven thought it had a case for a penalty on the other end in the 15th minute, but forward Mike Ambersley’s pleas went unanswered from the man in the middle after claiming he was dragged down while chasing a lengthy through ball.

Both teams’ nervous energy would settle down after the frantic opening quarter-hour, with both squads still pressing numbers forward in waves but nothing but half-chances coming as a result as the forays.  Ottawa received a blow late in the half when defender Drew Beckie went down with an apparent non-contact injury to the lower portion of his right leg.

Both teams would see challenges from distance nearly pay off early in the second half, but Carl Haworth’s 22-yard free kick would skim the top of the bar, while another Johnson blast from 25 yards was expertly punched away by Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser.

Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would start to put his stamp on the game around the hour mark with two efforts, one from inside the area that flashed just wide of the right post and an audacious volley from 30 yards that looped just over the upper right corner.

Ottawa would get a second chance from the spot in the 70th minute after forward Tom Heinemann was bowled over inside the area on a challenge by Indy’s Fejiro Okiomah.  Heinemann himself would take the kick, sending Nicht the wrong way and finishing inside the right post to give the Canadian side the 1-0 advantage.  

Things would tense up late, beginning in the 84th minute when Don Smart got on the end of a blocked shot in the right side of the area and thundered home a shot past Peiser to even things up at 1-1. But Ottawa would answer right back, as a series of passes inside the area ended with substitute Tony Donatelli squaring a simple ball into the path of Sinisa Upiparipovic, who slotted home to allow the visitors to retake the lead at 2-1, which is how the proceedings would end.

 

Indy Eleven Head Coach Juergen Sommer

“I thought there was a lot of energy in the group tonight. Obviously the conditions were a little unusual with the rain delay and lightning, but once we kind of got a feel of the surface and a comfort level with the ball, the boys were looking sharp at the start.

“The [guys] want to win. They were looking to be aggressive and go to goal. Jermaine Johnson had a lot of great strikes on goal, Mike [Ambersley] did a lot of great work underneath for us moving the ball.”

“Don Smart came in and lifted us a little bit. We were at the point where we just needed something to change the game a little bit … we just wanted to push a few more guys higher.”
 

Ottawa Fury FC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos

“It was not just a long night of perseverance, but a long weekend; because of delays did not get to our hotel until 11:30 last night after traveling all day. The guys arrived tired and it was another tough day with the game time changing and everything. It’s a game in which we showed a lot of character and perseverance to get the result.”

“I felt when we scored the game was equal, but when Indy tied it they were all over us. They put a lot of pressure on us, but we were able to do the winner right away. Again just a lot of character and we're very happy to return home with three points.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 7 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  1 : 2  Ottawa Fury FC

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Attendance: 10,285 (sellout)

 

                                                                1              2              FT

Indy Eleven                                        0              1              1             

Ottawa Fury FC                                 0              2              2

 

Scoring Summary:

OTT – Tom Heinemann (penalty kick) 70’

IND – Don Smart (unassisted) 84’

OTT – Sinisa Upiparipovic (Tony Donatelli) 86’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Fejiro Okiomah (caution) 49’

 

Statistics                              IND        OTT

Shots                                     25           9

Shots on Goal                    6              4

Fouls                                     14           18

Corners                                 3              7

Saves                                    2              5

Offside                                 4              2

Possession %                     52           48

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht (c); Erick Norales, Fejiro Okiomah, Jaime Frias, Kyle Hyland; Victor Pineda, Sergio Peña (Dylan Mares 90’), Kléberson, Blake Smith; Jermaine Johnson, Mike Ambersley (Don Smart 79’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Andrew Stone, Chris Estridge, A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

Ottawa Fury FC (4-3-3) – Romuald Peiser;  Ryan Richter, Drew Beckie (Tony Donatelli 45’), Mason Trafford, Ramon Soria; Nicki Patterson, Richie Ryan, Sinisa Upiparipovic (Maykon 87’); Philippe Davies, Tom Heinemann (Vini Dantas 71’), Carl Haworth

Unused Substitutes: Devala Gorrick (GK),  Kenny Caceros, Mauro Eustaquio, Pierre-Rudolph Mayard
Head Coach: Marc Dos Santos

Officials: Referee- Chris Penso; Assistant Referees- Brandon Artis, Brandon Rinkenberger; Fourth Official- Ali Banane

Fulltime Recap –  Indy Eleven  1 : 2  Ottawa Fury FC

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 23, 2014) – After sticking out a two-hour, fifteen-minute weather delay, Indy Eleven and Ottawa Fury FC provided a dramatic continuation of their “NASL Class of 2014” series, with Ottawa midfielder Sinisa Upiparipovic providing the decisive blow in the 86th minute of Fury FC’s 2-1 victory at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium.  Ottawa would go up in the 70th minute from the penalty spot through forward Tom Heinemann, but the Eleven wouldn’t go quietly, with substitute midfielder Don Smart’s 84th minute strike setting the stage for the wild finish in the Circle City.

With the game starting at 9:52 p.m. local time, both teams clearly had their energy bottled up as the game started at a break-neck pace, with Indy Eleven forward Jermaine Johnson setting the tone with a blast from distance that missed just wide 90 seconds in.  

Fury FC had a golden chance to go ahead early after Indy Eleven midfielder Sergio Pena was deemed to have brought down Ottawa’s Sinisa Upiparipovic in the corner of the area in the 8thminute. However, Indy Eleven ‘keeper Kristian Nicht dove well to his left to stop Nicki Patterson’s penalty kick to keep things scoreless.  The Eleven thought it had a case for a penalty on the other end in the 15th minute, but forward Mike Ambersley’s pleas went unanswered from the man in the middle after claiming he was dragged down while chasing a lengthy through ball.

Both teams’ nervous energy would settle down after the frantic opening quarter-hour, with both squads still pressing numbers forward in waves but nothing but half-chances coming as a result as the forays.  Ottawa received a blow late in the half when defender Drew Beckie went down with an apparent non-contact injury to the lower portion of his right leg.

Both teams would see challenges from distance nearly pay off early in the second half, but Carl Haworth’s 22-yard free kick would skim the top of the bar, while another Johnson blast from 25 yards was expertly punched away by Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser.

Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would start to put his stamp on the game around the hour mark with two efforts, one from inside the area that flashed just wide of the right post and an audacious volley from 30 yards that looped just over the upper right corner.

Ottawa would get a second chance from the spot in the 70th minute after forward Tom Heinemann was bowled over inside the area on a challenge by Indy’s Fejiro Okiomah.  Heinemann himself would take the kick, sending Nicht the wrong way and finishing inside the right post to give the Canadian side the 1-0 advantage.  

Things would tense up late, beginning in the 84th minute when Don Smart got on the end of a blocked shot in the right side of the area and thundered home a shot past Peiser to even things up at 1-1. But Ottawa would answer right back, as a series of passes inside the area ended with substitute Tony Donatelli squaring a simple ball into the path of Sinisa Upiparipovic, who slotted home to allow the visitors to retake the lead at 2-1, which is how the proceedings would end.

 

Indy Eleven Head Coach Juergen Sommer

“I thought there was a lot of energy in the group tonight. Obviously the conditions were a little unusual with the rain delay and lightning, but once we kind of got a feel of the surface and a comfort level with the ball, the boys were looking sharp at the start.

“The [guys] want to win. They were looking to be aggressive and go to goal. Jermaine Johnson had a lot of great strikes on goal, Mike [Ambersley] did a lot of great work underneath for us moving the ball.”

“Don Smart came in and lifted us a little bit. We were at the point where we just needed something to change the game a little bit … we just wanted to push a few more guys higher.”
 

Ottawa Fury FC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos

“It was not just a long night of perseverance, but a long weekend; because of delays did not get to our hotel until 11:30 last night after traveling all day. The guys arrived tired and it was another tough day with the game time changing and everything. It’s a game in which we showed a lot of character and perseverance to get the result.”

“I felt when we scored the game was equal, but when Indy tied it they were all over us. They put a lot of pressure on us, but we were able to do the winner right away. Again just a lot of character and we’re very happy to return home with three points.”

 

NASL Fall Season Week 7 – Fulltime Recap

Indy Eleven  1 : 2  Ottawa Fury FC

Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Attendance: 10,285 (sellout)

 

                                                                1              2              FT

Indy Eleven                                        0              1              1             

Ottawa Fury FC                                 0              2              2

 

Scoring Summary:

OTT – Tom Heinemann (penalty kick) 70’

IND – Don Smart (unassisted) 84’

OTT – Sinisa Upiparipovic (Tony Donatelli) 86’

 

Discipline Summary:

IND – Fejiro Okiomah (caution) 49’

 

Statistics                              IND        OTT

Shots                                     25           9

Shots on Goal                    6              4

Fouls                                     14           18

Corners                                 3              7

Saves                                    2              5

Offside                                 4              2

Possession %                     52           48

 

Line-ups:

Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht (c); Erick Norales, Fejiro Okiomah, Jaime Frias, Kyle Hyland; Victor Pineda, Sergio Peña (Dylan Mares 90’), Kléberson, Blake Smith; Jermaine Johnson, Mike Ambersley (Don Smart 79’)

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Andrew Stone, Chris Estridge, A.J. Corrado, Corby Moore

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

Ottawa Fury FC (4-3-3) – Romuald Peiser;  Ryan Richter, Drew Beckie (Tony Donatelli 45’), Mason Trafford, Ramon Soria; Nicki Patterson, Richie Ryan, Sinisa Upiparipovic (Maykon 87’); Philippe Davies, Tom Heinemann (Vini Dantas 71’), Carl Haworth

Unused Substitutes: Devala Gorrick (GK),  Kenny Caceros, Mauro Eustaquio, Pierre-Rudolph Mayard
Head Coach: Marc Dos Santos

Officials: Referee- Chris Penso; Assistant Referees- Brandon Artis, Brandon Rinkenberger; Fourth Official- Ali Banane

Fulltime Recap – Minnesota United FC  5 : 1  Indy Eleven

BLAINE, Minn. (Saturday, August 16, 2014) – Minnesota United (5W-1T-0L, 16 pts. in NASL Fall Season) put on a commanding display to achieve 5-1 victory over visiting Indy Eleven (2-4-1, 7 pts.). League leading scorer Christian Ramirez brought his total to 12 for the season, with Aaron Pitchkolan, Daniel Mendes, and Jamie Watson also scoring for Minnesota before Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would get one back for the visitors after the result was long decided.

The Eleven dominated the opening minutes of the game with high pressure and possession in Minnesota's half. Several free kicks from outside the United box for Kléberson threatened keeper Matt VanOekel, but the Minnesota goalkeeper and his defense were able to handle the pressure.

United opened the scoring in the 25 th minute with a pass from Ramirez to Watson, who fired from outside the box, his shot striking an Indy defender. Players appealed for a hand ball, and in the confusion an opportunity opened for Pitchkolan to take a shot. The Minnesota captain buried the chance, beating the helpless Indy ‘keeper Kristian Nicht and giving Minnesota the 1-0 lead.

Ramirez doubled United's lead in the 37 th with a strike that will be a contender for Play of the Week – if not Play of the Year. Justin Davis put a lofted ball into the box that Ramirez chested up in the air. The United striker finished the chance with a bicycle kick from 16 yards that found the left corner of the net, making it 2-0.

Much like in the spring encounter between the two sides, United got its third goal in first half stoppage time to take the wind out of the visitors’ sails. Davis took a free kick that Ramirez flicked on past the Indy defense to find teammate Mendes, who perfectly timed his run. Mendes chipped Nicht with his first touch, putting the home side up by three as time expired.

The second half looked like a similar start to the first with the Eleven getting most of the early chances. However, Minnesota got its breakthrough just eight minutes into the half. Kevin Venegas found fellow midfielder Watson in the middle of the field with a precise pass. Watson dribbled past a defender and Nicht and passed the ball 18 yards into the back of the net. The goal put United up 4-0 and was Watson's first on the year.

Five minutes later Ramirez got his 12 th of the year with a long range shot from the right side of the pitch. Miguel Ibarra tried a pass toward the corner flag, but the ball struck a defender's leg and was directed straight to Ramirez. The young forward took a touch, then placed a dipping shot over the head of Nicht that landed perfectly in the far back corner of the net.

Indy would not go quietly though, as former World Cup Champion Kléberson got the Eleven's lone goal. The Brazilian midfielder received the ball 30 yards from goal and saw an opening in the defense. Kléberson fired a laser-like shot, not seen by United keeper Matt VanOekel, which dipped into the upper left corner of the net making it 5-1 late in the second half.

After dropping two straight games to the Fall Season’s top two squads during consecutive weekends, Indy Eleven will look forward to returning to its home of Michael A. Carroll Stadium next Saturday, August 23, when the Hoosier State squad will host expansion “Class of 2014” mate Ottawa Fury FC for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff (live on MyINDY-TV 23 and NASLLive.com). Limited tickets for the match still remain and are available at www.indyeleven.com , including special $25 packages that include a game ticket and a pass to the team’s “Craft Brew Night presented by Kroger” pregame event beginning at 5:30 p.m.

 

NASL Fall Season Week 6 – Fulltime Recap

Minnesota United FC  5 : 1  Indy Eleven

National Sports Center Stadium – Blaine, Minn.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Attendance: 5,420

 

                                                    1              2              FT

Minnesota United FC               3              2              5

Indy Eleven                                0              1              1             

 

Scoring Summary:

MNU – Aaron Pitchkolan (unassisted) 25’

MNU – Christian Ramirez (Justin Davis) 37’

MNU – Daniel Mendes (Christian Ramirez) 45+2’

MNU – Jamie Watson (Kevin Venegas) 53’

MNU – Christian Ramirez (Miguel Ibarra) 58’

IND – Kleberson (Mike Ambersley) 71’

 

Discipline Summary:

MNU – Tiago (caution) 52’

IND – Kyle Hyland (caution) 64’

 

Statistics                              MNU     IND

Shots                                     10          15

Shots on Goal                       7            5

Fouls                                     11            8

Corners                                 4              6

Saves                                    4              2

Offside                                  1              4

Possession %                   51           49

 

Line-ups:

 

Indy Eleven (4-5-1) – Kristian Nicht (c); Erick Norales, Fejiro Okiomah (Dylan Mares 58’), Jaime Frias, Kyle Hyland (Chris Estridge 67’); Don Smart, Sergio Peña, Kléberson, Victor Pineda (A.J. Corrado 58’), Blake Smith; Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Nathan Sprenkel (GK), Corby Moore, Andrew Stone

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

Minnesota United FC (4-5-1) – Matt VanOekel; Justin Davis, Tiago Calvano (Greg Jordan 65’), Cristiano Dias, Kevin Venegas; Aaron Pitchkolan (c), Floyd Franks (Michael Reed 61’), Jamie Watson, Daniel Mendes (Omar Daley 68’), Miguel Ibarra; Christian Ramirez

Unused Substitutes: Andrew Fontein; Brian Kallman; Pedro Mendes, Simone Bracalello

Head Coach: Manny Lagos

Officials: Referee- Nima Saghafi; Assistant Referees- Tyler Dalsin, Bryce Bockin; Fourth Official- Jeremy Uecker

Fulltime Recap – Minnesota United FC  5 : 1  Indy Eleven

BLAINE, Minn. (Saturday, August 16, 2014) – Minnesota United (5W-1T-0L, 16 pts. in NASL Fall Season) put on a commanding display to achieve 5-1 victory over visiting Indy Eleven (2-4-1, 7 pts.). League leading scorer Christian Ramirez brought his total to 12 for the season, with Aaron Pitchkolan, Daniel Mendes, and Jamie Watson also scoring for Minnesota before Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would get one back for the visitors after the result was long decided.

The Eleven dominated the opening minutes of the game with high pressure and possession in Minnesota’s half. Several free kicks from outside the United box for Kléberson threatened keeper Matt VanOekel, but the Minnesota goalkeeper and his defense were able to handle the pressure.

United opened the scoring in the 25 th minute with a pass from Ramirez to Watson, who fired from outside the box, his shot striking an Indy defender. Players appealed for a hand ball, and in the confusion an opportunity opened for Pitchkolan to take a shot. The Minnesota captain buried the chance, beating the helpless Indy ‘keeper Kristian Nicht and giving Minnesota the 1-0 lead.

Ramirez doubled United’s lead in the 37 th with a strike that will be a contender for Play of the Week – if not Play of the Year. Justin Davis put a lofted ball into the box that Ramirez chested up in the air. The United striker finished the chance with a bicycle kick from 16 yards that found the left corner of the net, making it 2-0.

Much like in the spring encounter between the two sides, United got its third goal in first half stoppage time to take the wind out of the visitors’ sails. Davis took a free kick that Ramirez flicked on past the Indy defense to find teammate Mendes, who perfectly timed his run. Mendes chipped Nicht with his first touch, putting the home side up by three as time expired.

The second half looked like a similar start to the first with the Eleven getting most of the early chances. However, Minnesota got its breakthrough just eight minutes into the half. Kevin Venegas found fellow midfielder Watson in the middle of the field with a precise pass. Watson dribbled past a defender and Nicht and passed the ball 18 yards into the back of the net. The goal put United up 4-0 and was Watson’s first on the year.

Five minutes later Ramirez got his 12 th of the year with a long range shot from the right side of the pitch. Miguel Ibarra tried a pass toward the corner flag, but the ball struck a defender’s leg and was directed straight to Ramirez. The young forward took a touch, then placed a dipping shot over the head of Nicht that landed perfectly in the far back corner of the net.

Indy would not go quietly though, as former World Cup Champion Kléberson got the Eleven’s lone goal. The Brazilian midfielder received the ball 30 yards from goal and saw an opening in the defense. Kléberson fired a laser-like shot, not seen by United keeper Matt VanOekel, which dipped into the upper left corner of the net making it 5-1 late in the second half.

After dropping two straight games to the Fall Season’s top two squads during consecutive weekends, Indy Eleven will look forward to returning to its home of Michael A. Carroll Stadium next Saturday, August 23, when the Hoosier State squad will host expansion “Class of 2014” mate Ottawa Fury FC for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff (live on MyINDY-TV 23 and NASLLive.com). Limited tickets for the match still remain and are available at www.indyeleven.com , including special $25 packages that include a game ticket and a pass to the team’s “Craft Brew Night presented by Kroger” pregame event beginning at 5:30 p.m.

 

NASL Fall Season Week 6 – Fulltime Recap

Minnesota United FC  5 : 1  Indy Eleven

National Sports Center Stadium – Blaine, Minn.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Attendance: 5,420

 

                                                    1              2              FT

Minnesota United FC               3              2              5

Indy Eleven                                0              1              1             

 

Scoring Summary:

MNU – Aaron Pitchkolan (unassisted) 25’

MNU – Christian Ramirez (Justin Davis) 37’

MNU – Daniel Mendes (Christian Ramirez) 45+2’

MNU – Jamie Watson (Kevin Venegas) 53’

MNU – Christian Ramirez (Miguel Ibarra) 58’

IND – Kleberson (Mike Ambersley) 71’

 

Discipline Summary:

MNU – Tiago (caution) 52’

IND – Kyle Hyland (caution) 64’

 

Statistics                              MNU     IND

Shots                                     10          15

Shots on Goal                       7            5

Fouls                                     11            8

Corners                                 4              6

Saves                                    4              2

Offside                                  1              4

Possession %                   51           49

 

Line-ups:

 

Indy Eleven (4-5-1) – Kristian Nicht (c); Erick Norales, Fejiro Okiomah (Dylan Mares 58’), Jaime Frias, Kyle Hyland (Chris Estridge 67’); Don Smart, Sergio Peña, Kléberson, Victor Pineda (A.J. Corrado 58’), Blake Smith; Mike Ambersley

Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Nathan Sprenkel (GK), Corby Moore, Andrew Stone

Head Coach: Juergen Sommer

 

Minnesota United FC (4-5-1) – Matt VanOekel; Justin Davis, Tiago Calvano (Greg Jordan 65’), Cristiano Dias, Kevin Venegas; Aaron Pitchkolan (c), Floyd Franks (Michael Reed 61’), Jamie Watson, Daniel Mendes (Omar Daley 68’), Miguel Ibarra; Christian Ramirez

Unused Substitutes: Andrew Fontein; Brian Kallman; Pedro Mendes, Simone Bracalello

Head Coach: Manny Lagos

Officials: Referee- Nima Saghafi; Assistant Referees- Tyler Dalsin, Bryce Bockin; Fourth Official- Jeremy Uecker