Indy Eleven vs Dayton Dutch Lions - 05.08

Summary

- Opponent: Racing Louisville
- Location: Grand Park Event Center
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 7-1 W

- Starting XI: Edwards (C), Brecht, Mills, Kruer, Lee, Adam, Smith, Dardano, Guthrie, Sochacki, Jodoin

- Substitution: Hodsden 45' (Jodoin); May 67' (Sochacki); Johnson 67' (Dardano); Gillespie 78' (Smith); Chatterton 84' (Lee)

- Unused: Phillips, Hamm, Kikuchi, Satterfield

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Sochacki 16' (assist Jodoin)
IND - Lee 38' (assist Brecht)
DAY - McKinney 43' (assist Kerins)
IND - Guthrie 54' (Hodsden)
IND - Own Goal 65'
IND - Kruer 70' (assist Guthrie)
IND - Johnson 83' (Penalty Kick)
IND - Guthrie 87'

- Bookings:

DAY - Powell 58' (Yellow)
DAY - McKinney 78' (Yellow)
IND - Lee 80' (Yellow)
DAY - Brunetti 83' (Yellow)

- Referee: Jordan Hindes

Thoughts and Opinions

It's been 7 days since Dayton was here on Sunday, but in the week between the games, the visitors from Ohio weren't able to locate any other players and continued to just travel with a very limited roster, having just 4 substitutes available, while Indy had their full compliment. As with the game on Sunday, the ability to have fresh legs late looked to be a potential advantage for Indy if the game was in doubt. The game wasn't fully in doubt late, but things did get out of hand as Indy scored two goals in the first half and another 5 in the second half to secure a 7-1 win. 

Guthrie put a shot off the crossbar from the kickoff to signify that Indy was going to be on the attack. Dayton to their credit were much more engaged early to get the first official shot on target in the game. The ball went straight to Edwards, but it was clear that Dayton was looking to not leave Indy conceding 6 goals again. They once against put themselves into a bad spot though when Jodoin split two defenders near the right corner and then found a wide open Sochacki at the penalty spot who made no mistake with her shot passed Brandon. As with the game on Sunday, Dayton increased their intensity again after the first goal. The visitors were going to refuse to go down easily for a second time in a week.

The Lions nearly equalized in the 25th minute when a rare mistake in Indy's defense nearly came back to hurt them. Edwards was forced to come off her line and the ball was pushed around her. The centering cross rolled within feet of the goal line, but managed to go across the entire face of goal without a player from either team. Indy dodged the bullet, but Dayton had a really good opportunity to bring the game back to level.

As has been the trend this week, Indy dominated all the offensive stats going into the halftime locker room, including a second crossbar hit, the second one coming from Sochacki. However, Dayton made good on an opportunity as the half was winding down. McKinney received the ball from Kerins around 25 yards away from goal and immediately turned and went straight at goal. Before any of the Indy defenders could step close enough to her, she took a shot from outside the box that Edwards appeared to think it was going to go over the crossbar, but it suddenly dipped down and slide just under the bar to get the visitors on the board. As the teams went into the break, Indy could have, and probably should have, scored a couple more goals, but Indy's rushed shots and Dayton's defense kept the Lions within range.

Dayton came out of the locker room looking to make an immediate impact and change the tenor of the game with two really good opportunities on goal. Indy's defense and Edwards made a mistake and Dayton was nearly in on goal uncontested. The Indy defense managed to recover just enough to get the ball to trickle just wide of Edwards' post. The gauntlet was thrown down though that Dayton was not going to go quietly. 

After the early threats at the Indy goal, Indy decided that they were still going to play and found a third goal after second half substitute Hodsden got the ball away from her defender and did what she does; she went at goal. Instead of continuing to goal, she put in a cross that Guthrie redirected into the goal with her stomach to restore Indy's 2-goal lead.

The 3rd goal wasn't the game winner, nor was it the last of the scoring, but it was the precursor of things to come. Indy scored four more times after Guthrie's goal, including a second from Guthrie, an Own Goal, and a penalty kick from Johnson, fresh from her return playing with the USWNT U20s in Spain. 

A week ago, Indy sat behind Dayton and Louisville, needing to get wins to put themselves in contention to make the playoffs as the Valley Division winners. 7 days and 3 games later, Indy have done everything they needed to give themselves a chance. Three victories and 22 goals to put them on top of the division is all you can ask from a group of women who have only played 8 games together. Now Indy have to sit and wait to determine how important the Toledo game will be. If Dayton doesn't take points off of Louisville in one of their upcoming two games, it's still feasible that Indy's recent dominance of the Valley Division could be for naught.

Game Beckons Game Ball

Sitting a few seats away from Greg Rakestraw during the game, I could hear him reference me in the telecast and who he thought I might choose for tonight's GBGB winner. His guess was that I might select Brecht, who I admit had a legitimate argument to get the GBGB. Much of the first half went through her on the right side and she routinely blasted up field and caused issues for the Dayton defense. However... I have to give the GBGB to Guthrie. Sometimes the selected GBGB player comes down to a feeling about who sticks out for me. Sometimes it's that plus who fills up the stat sheet. Guthrie kept showing up for me as someone who was going non-stop to get to the balls or win them back. She also scored a brace, had an assist, had 9 of Indy's 22 shots, committed 5 fouls, and had the audacity to try and chip the Dayton keeper on the opening kickoff. Rakestraw is correct that Brecht is deserving, but tonight's GBGB goes to Guthrie.

Indy Eleven vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds - 13.11

Summary

- Opponent: Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Location: Stadium
- Attendance: 5,977
- Final Score: 1-0 L

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Rasheed, Craig, Neidlinger, Blake, Lindley (C), O'Brien, J., Mesanvi, Kizza, Rendon

- Substitution: Okello 72' (Kizza); Barry 72' (Craig); Omar 82' (Mitrano)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Sharp, Sing, Williams, K.

- Scoring Summary:
PIT- Kelp 90'+2' (assist Barnes)

- Bookings:

PIT - Barnes 10' (Yellow)
IND - Lindley 21' (Yellow) 
IND - Craig 56' (Yellow)
PIT - Mikoy 62' (Yellow)
IND - Neidlinger 90'+5' (Yellow)
PIT - Dikwa 90'+6' (Yellow)

- Referee: Nabil Bensalah

- Adage goals: One.
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 8

Thoughts and Opinions

Full Time Heat Map

I was at the Indy Eleven women's game, but watched the replay of the game, while also watching World Cup games and the replay of the Women's NCAA Track & Field pole vault championships (I had a lot of screens going tonight...). What I saw from the Indy men was about what we've come to expect from an Indy vs Pittsburgh game over the years. A low-scoring, defense-heavy affair with a lot of the game played in the middle half of the field. Nothing all that surprising.

What is surprising is how many times Indy continues to late games slip late. Even more surprising is how Dick lets a ball go through his legs in the 90'+2' to take Indy's point on the road and throw it in the Monongahela River. Dick has frequently spilled balls this year and frequently at inopportune times. Tonight was another example.

With the result, Indy's stay at 2nd in the table comes tumbling down as they settle back down to 6th place with the other results tonight. Indy does have at least one (and up to 3) game in hand on the teams ahead of them. Such is the nature of the East this year when Louisville had a four-game losing streak and had to get a late equalizer against Brooklyn to not start another losing streak, and Tampa finally showed they're mortal by losing to Hartford. 

Indy's roster is all kinds of decimated with Coach McAuley doing what he can to make something work with what he has left. Rumor is that there will be a new player announced soon to help with the lack of bodies. Indy return to action next Wednesday against the same Brooklyn team that beat them in the opening game and nearly beat Louisville tonight. Then they'll travel to Lexington next Saturday to complete a long week with their final group game in the Prinx Tires USL Cup.

Indy Eleven vs Racing Louisville - 05.07

Summary

- Opponent: Racing Louisville
- Location: Grand Park Event Center
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 3-0 W

- Starting XI: Edwards (C), Brecht, Mills, Kruer, Lee, Smith, Dardano, Guthrie, DeMartino, Sochacki, Jodoin

- Substitution: Jennings 45' (Jodoin); Codd 45' (Dardano); Hodsden 45' (Sochacki); Chatterton 64' (Lee); Adam 64' (Kruer); Chong 77' (Smith); Hamm 83' (Guthrie)

- Unused: Phillips, Satterfield

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Sochacki 4' (assist Mills)
IND - Guthrie 36' (assist Smith)
IND - Jennings 62' (assist Codd)

- Bookings:

LOU - Snyder 68' (Yellow)

- Referee: Dana Hackney

Thoughts and Opinions

Three games in 7 days is a lot on the legs, particularly when the games may realistically determine whether you make it into the playoffs. Even more so when the two teams you are playing in those games are the most likely other alternatives to get that playoff spot, and they don't have any other games in the same period. Additionally, unlike Sunday's game where Dayton brought 3 substitutes, Racing Louisville rolled into the Grand Park Event Center with 19 players so Indy's ability to outwork and tire their opponent late was not going to be an option. Fortunately for Indy Eleven fans, Indy got on the board early, added to it twice more, and kept Louisville off the scoreboard to stay in the race for the Divisional lead with the season winding down. A lot left to play for in the final two games, and hope Louisville drop points in one of their final games, but Indy had 3 things on the To Do list this week - well, technically, it was one thing, but do it 3 times... win - and they have checked off two of those boxes.

Indy got off to a quick start when Mills put a ball through the Louisville lines. It didn't look like it was originally intended to be for Sochacki, but that's who latched onto the ball as it rolled into the box. Reece collected it nicely and put the ball over Lee and off the underside of the crossbar before the ball bounced beyond the line for the opening, and game-winning, goal.

After the goal, possession skewed towards Louisville, but they weren't able to get many good shooting opportunities from it. Much of that ineffectiveness in the final third was due to the defensive prowess of Mills, Kruer, Brecht, and Lee who seemed to be perpetually in the right places to stifle the attacks. Racing do a good job of playing spaces and working their way through the midfield, but Indy's tenacious defending constantly put them in positions to take the ball away or eventually force Racing into locations where they couldn't do anything with the ball.

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

As the half began to wind down, it could be easily argued that despite being down a goal, Racing was the better team...other than in their final third. Indy had 8 shots to Racing's 2 as the half closed. In the 36th minute, against the run of play, Indy found a second goal through a moment of brilliance from Guthrie. She found herself in open space 35-yards from goal and audaciously put a shot over the goalkeeper and tucked under the bar in the far corner to double Indy's lead that stunned everybody in attendance and completely surprised Lee. "Take me home momma and put me to bed. I have seen enough to know I have seen too much." When you have to get a win, putting your opponent down by two going into the halftime locker room creates a different momentum feeling than if they're only down by one.

The second half started with four consecutive corners for Indy, but after that the early part of the half had the same feel as the first half with Racing holding a significant portion of the possession in their defensive half of the field, but couldn't get much accomplished in the final third. That lack of attacking results were not Indy's problem as the shots continued to pile up until Jennings added a third goal in the 62nd minute. Indy finished the game with a 22 to 4 shot advantage, with 11 of those 22 shots being on target. Edwards, conversely, was credited with just 2 saves, neither of which I would consider to be overly threatening.

At this point, everything was finished but the whistle. Indy had some decent chances, while Louisville's offense continued to fizzle out in the final third. When the final whistle sounded, Indy took another step closer to potentially making the playoffs again, while Louisville knew their fates were now also on a razor thin edge. Everybody except Toledo still have a chance and everything to play for in the final two weeks of games.

Indy returns to the Grand Park Event Center on Saturday to play Dayton Dutch Lions for the second time in 7 days. Indy can't win the Division on Saturday, but they can lose it. It's still win out or definitely stay home. Any dropped points now will put them out of contention for the Valley Division's playoff spot.

 

Game Beckons Game Ball

It's a bit unfair that I haven't done this yet this season, but Indy's defense has been stout all season, never conceding more than 1 goal in any of the games and collecting three straight clean sheets. Indy's offense has finally started to connect on the shots they were missing early in the season and winning results have followed. However, a constant through all the results has been the play of defender Mac Kruer. The center back has been solid and constantly settled the Louisville attack that often made it through Indy's midfield far too easily. I'm going to throw in her CB-pairing of Mills, and the combined pair get tonight's GBGB for their constant effort against a very dangerous Racing Louisville attack. 

Photos: Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Dayton Dutch Lions - 05.06

Summary

- Opponent: Dayton Dutch Lions
- Location: Grand Park Event Center
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 6-0 W

- Starting XI: Edwards (C), Brecht, Mills, Kruer, Yu, Lee, Smith, Dardano, Guthrie, Sochacki, Jodoin

- Substitution: Adam 43' (Yu - injury); Hodsden 45' (Sochacki); Chatterton 63' (Lee); Hamm 63' (Brecht); DeMartino 63' (Dardano); Chong 63' (Guthrie); May 72' (Jodoin)

- Unused: Phillips, Satterfield

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Jodoin 13' (unassisted)
IND - Dardano 45'+3' (unassisted)
IND - Hodsden 56' (assist Mills)
IND - Hodsden 76' (assist Mills)
IND - Hodsden 78' (unassisted)
IND - Chatterton 90'+2' (assist May)

- Bookings:

None

- Referee: Rachel Glago

Thoughts and Opinions

I stated it before, but in a Valley Division that includes just 4 teams and only the top team makes it to the league's playoffs, every game becomes a proverbial 6-point game. After you've lost two of your first five games, the importance of getting wins gets magnified. That's where Indy found themselves heading into tonight's game against the Division-leading Dayton Dutch Lions. After a 1-nil victory for Dayton two weeks ago in Dayton, Indy was able to flip the script and help themselves in the goal differential category with a 6-nil victory in the friendly confines of the Grand Park Event Center.

Dayton had just 3 available substitutes and were forced into an early sub due to injury, further reducing their bench. <sarcasm>Probably not related<sarcasm>, Dayton setup in a 4-4-1 in a bit of an immediate bunker, trying to to guard against Indy's anticipated waves of attacks as they looked to make amends for the first game's result and to keep Indy in front of them to keep their legs as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Within the first 15 minutes, Indy looked the better team, continually forcing Dayton further into that low block, forcing Dayton to question that bunker logic. After Indy scored in the 13th minute when Jodoin single-handedly took on multiple Dayton players and crushed a ball into the corner of the goal, Dayton had no choice but to open themselves up and the game became much more wide open after the opening goal. 

After the Yu substitute late in the first half forced Indy into their own unscheduled substitute, the Dayton Dutch Lions had to feel good about going into the half down just a goal given the discrepancy in all the stats. Indy dominated possession, shots, shots on target, crosses, etc. However, as stoppage time was winding down, the Lions' goalkeeper attempted to clear a ball, but Indy's Dardano put herself in the way and Spiller's clearance slammed against Dardano's shin and rebounded straight into the goal to give Indy a 2-nil lead going into the locker room. Drew Conner's goal that was blasted off his head came to mind as a similar, but less painful, scoring opportunity in Indy Eleven history. The goal completely changed the momentum going into halftime. Had the score remained 1-nil, Dayton could have come out of the locker room feeling refreshed and ready to tackle another half. The second goal meant they came out feeling tired, with limited substitutes, and staring at an uphill climb.

Coach Kim made a substitution coming out of the half, taking off Sochacki and bringing in Hodsden, who almost immediately made her coach look like a genius getting a shot very soon as coming in. The debut goal from Hodsden wouldn't take much longer as she found herself 1v1 with Spiller in the 56th minute after a long ball from Mills. Hodsden made no mistake and brought the game to 3-nil. Shortly after the goal, Kim used his ultimate weapon in this game, which was his bench. Kim made 4 substitutions in the 63rd minute, more than Dayton had available to start the game. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

The fresh legs increased the pace of play and the required defensive effort by Dayton worked into Indy's favor. I stated before the game that if Indy got the first goal, the game could get out of hand for Dayton late as they just didn't have the fresh bodies to throw into the game to complete a comeback or stem the tide. That was exactly what happened as the substitutes began to run the already ragged Dayton defenders into the ground. Hodsden made quick work at getting her second and then adding her name to Indy's lore by getting a third goal to secure her hat trick. In stoppage time, second-half substitute Chatterton, who is now 1 game away from tying Grace Bahr for most appearances, added one more to give a even half-dozen goals for the second consecutive game. 

Indy needed a win and got an emphatic one. Indy still has a chance. Toledo is out of the race. They're just trying to not get blown out at this point and maybe steal a win along the way. If Indy wins out, they would finish with a 6W-2D-1L record. If Dayton wins out (minus the loss to Indy), the two teams would be tied on record and Points Per Match, but Indy would win the tiebreaker and Racing would be out of the picture because Dayton would have beaten them twice to get to the tiebreaker point. If, however, Racing wins out (minus the loss to Indy), they would finish with a 6W-2D-1L record and would have one more point than Indy, securing the playoff berth for Racing. So Indy needs to take care of business and then hope Dayton and Racing split points somewhere in their two games against each other. 

Indy has to do their part and win against both those teams and they get two more chances to do that this week. Racing comes to town on Wednesday and Dayton returns on Saturday. Get wins this week and then wait to see how those two teams fare against each other in the following weeks.

Game Beckons Game Ball

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Many times it's not easy to pick a player from Indy as the GBGB winner because everyone plays well. In a 6-nil win, many people have played well, including the goalkeeper and defense. However, a hat trick is a rare feat. So Hodsden is an obvious choice for tonight's GBGB as she joins Williams (2), Soderstrom (1), and Dewey (1) for the 5th hat trick in team history. She had another goal called off, which would have tied her with Williams for most goals in a game (Maddy scored four goals in the 16-nil drubbing of St. Charles in the 2023 season). While Hodsden's hat trick took just 22 minutes, Williams still has her beat due to her 15-minute hat trick in a game against Flint City in the 2022 season. We're mentioning Hodsden's night (where she had 9 shots in 45 minutes of action) in comparison to the best goal-scorer in the team's short history so she's an obvious choice and I have to give it to her. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Forward Madison - 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup

Summary

- Opponent: Forward Madison
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,586
- Final Score: 2-0 W

- Starting XI: Charles-Cook, Quinn (C), Rasheed, Craig, Neidlinger, Lindley, O'Brien, J., Blake, Okello, Rendon, Kizza

- Substitution: Mitrano 36' (Quinn - Injury); Omar 63' (Lindley); Sing 63' (Kizza); Barry 86' (Rendon); Lowden 86' (Williams, K.)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Mesanvi

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Craig 48' (assist Rendon)
IND - O'Brien, J. 54'

- Bookings:

MAD - Torres 12' (Yellow)
IND - Quinn 21' (Yellow)
MAD - Shannon 47' (Yellow)
MAD - Kanyane 50' (Yellow)
MAD - Toure 58' (Yellow)
IND - O'Brien, J. 68' (Yellow)

- Referee: Muhammad Kaleia

- Adage goals: None.
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 8

Thoughts and Opinions

In the game against Rhode Island, I mentioned Indy's kickoff starts being much like a Hail Mary pass in the other type of football and that it resulted in a 17 second shot on target for Indy. Forward Madison had the exact same starting formation with nearly the same results. The only difference was that Madison's was 1 second quicker and not on target. However, the Hail Mary formation has been effective for the team starting the game that way in the past two men's game. In a modern game where position often reigns supreme, it's a stark difference in the way that Indy plays and how effective the long ball kickoff has been recently. 

Shots - Full Time

The League One side may have started the shots, but it was Indy that dominated that stat. The final totals were 24 shots for Indy to 8 shots for Forward Madison. More telling was the Shots on Target that were swayed drastically to Indy's favor to the tune of a 14 to 1 advantage. Had it not been for some great saves by Manske, this had the makings of a major drubbing. Some of Indy's 14 shots on target were right at Manske, but he was forced into some really good reaction saves, all from close range as Indy took 20 of their 24 shots from within the box. Madison's shots were scattered throughout the game, while Indy had a constant peppering of Manske's goal throughout the entirety of the game. The two-goal difference is good for Indy but could have been much worse for the visitors if it hadn't been for some of Manske's saves. 

Indy's injury struggles have been discussed frequently on this site this year, but Indy has mostly found a way to be successful, getting points out of 8 of their 10 home games across all competitions. Watching Quinn get subbed out in the 36th minute ultimately didn't affect this game, but does create some concern for the future depending on the type of injury he sustained. The backline has been a constant work effort in sending out a workable lineup as McAuley has dealt with season-long injuries and international duty. For multiple reason, hopefully, Quinn's injury isn't severe.

There's still a lot of season to be played, with injuries continuing to be something to keep in mind, but as of today - after the 10th league game, 3 USL Cup games, & 2 Open Cup games - the 2026 team is sitting at the second highest percentage rate in team history at points achieved behind only the 2016 team (who took points from a game 81% of the time) and just ahead of the 2019 team (at 72.5%), arguably the two high water marks for successful Indy Eleven seasons. For a team that I called a potential middle of the table League One team a month ago, they have continued to get results. Are they games against the highest echelon teams in the Eastern Conference? No. But you have to get wins or at least positive results from the teams that are struggling/not good, and Indy has done that really well the last month. Tonight's win was against a League One opponent and likely still isn't going to be enough to help Indy advance to the USL Cup knockout rounds, but Indy has also had poor results from other League One opponents this year. 

Getting a solid victory at home with a week to prepare for games against Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, and Lexington in a Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday stretch is a good way to start June.

Game Beckons Game Ball

I don't do it very often, but periodically I have to give credit where credit is due, even if that player is on the opposing team. Indy's constant attack resulted in constant shots and shots on target. Manske clearly kept this game within an arm's reach for Madison. Otherwise, the goal differential would have been far worse for the Flamingos. For Manske's 12 saves and 5 clearances, I have to give him tonight's GBGB.

Indy Eleven vs Toledo Villa FC - 05.05

Summary

- Opponent: Toledo Villa FC
- Location: Paul Hotmer Field
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 6-0 W

- Starting XI: Edwards, Brecht, Mills, Kruer, Lee, Smith (C), Guthrie, Dardano, Hamm, Sochacki, Jodoin

- Substitution: Yu 61' (Mills); Chong 61' (Dardano); Adam 61' (Lee); Kikuchi 73' (Guthrie); Farrell 73' (Jodoin); Cueto 83' (Kruer)

- Unused: Phillips

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Jodoin 39' (unassisted)
IND - Hamm 42' (assist Jodoin)
IND - Guthrie 50' (assist Sochacki)
IND - Sochacki 60' (assist Kruer)
IND - Sochacki 74' (assist Farrell)
IND - Farrell 90'+1' (assist Chong)

- Bookings:

TVF - Bourbeau 66' (Yellow)

- Referee: ?

Thoughts and Opinions

Let's get the important part of the way immediately. Well done Toledo for a proper stream. Proper camera work (though a bit too tight at times) with replays and proper commentary. It's nice to see that Indy isn't the only one in the Division who puts any value in their W League team's streaming requirements. Toledo may be currently sitting at the bottom of the table, having scored just 3 goals, but Louisville and Dayton can take a lesson in what a proper stream looks like. 

Now, more specifically to the play on the field. I've noticed a couple things in Indy's time in the W League. 

One of the first things that has been consistent is that when Indy is the more technically gifted team, which has been a lot of times in the first few seasons, oftentimes the opponent counteracts that difference by being far more physical; a physicality that Indy teams haven't always been inclined to reciprocate (Hal Hershfelt not included). Particularly in the first half of this game, that trend continued. As the one-way traffic persisted through the majority of the half for Indy, they were frequently met by hard tackles from the Toledo defenders who often found themselves in bad positions. To the referee's credit, many of those fouls were called, and it didn't ultimately matter, but it has shown the wide range of talent in the W League and how teams try to deal with the talent gap.

The second thing was finishing. If Indy had kept their body over their shots and been a little more composed on those shots when they had time, this game would have been out of hand score-wise long before it was actually out of hand score-wise. Indy was dominant from the start and had the field tilted towards Toledo's goal the entire time. What came to my mind was the difference the past two years' teams have had, with younger squads, as compared to the first couple of seasons, when Indy had Williams and Soderstrom up top. Both of those players were older, had more experience, and were far more composed on the ball. The past couple of games have shown that despite the talent that is clearly evident with the Indy Eleven players, time and experiences are invaluable for slowing the game down in a player's mind. Williams and Soderstrom had the game slowed down in their mind and as a result were far more clinical around goal when the opportunities came to them. If you're only trying to win games, having some veteran players has proven to be invaluable. If you're trying to develop local talent, you're going to take some lumps along the way when the shots are going in despite dominating the possession and attempts like Indy did the previous two games.

This was a definite "get right" and "feel right" game for the women after a couple of difficult losses the previous two games against Dayton and Louisville to finish off Indy's ridiculously long road stand. Six goals from 5 different players and a very solid defensive effort that snuffed out nearly all of Toledo's promising attacks is a good way to head home to finish off the season. With two games remaining against Division-leading Dayton and a game against Louisville, finally all at home, Indy's playoff possibility could still be firmly in their own hands, but they're still on the knife's edge. A draw along the way probably doesn't get it done, particularly if that draw is to Dayton unless Dayton and Louisville take points from each other in their remaining two games against each other. 

Despite some lapses in defensive and passing judgements by Indy after they had their 3-goal lead that could have given Toledo some life, Indy had a well-deserved 6-goal win in a game they completely dominated. Indy return home for their second home game of the season to host Dayton and start making their push to erase the hole the month-long away stretch put them in.

Game Beckons Game Ball

Pretty much a team effort, with good play by a lot of players. For getting the brace and an assist, I'll give Sochacki the edge for tonight's GBGB.

Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island FC - 13.10

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,188
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Dick, Quinn (C), Rasheed, Craig, Neidlinger, Lindley, O'Brien, J., Blake, Okello, Rendon, Kizza

- Substitution: Barry 57' (Kizza); Sing 67' (Neidlinger); Omar 80' (Okello); Williams, K. 90'+3' (Blake); Mitrano 90'+4' (Rendon)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Lowden

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Rendon 55' (assist Quinn)

- Bookings:

RI - Thompson 8' (Yellow)
IND - Okello 15' (Yellow)
IND - Rendon 36' (Yellow)
RI - Holstad 56' (Yellow)

- Referee: Thomas Snyder

- Adage goals: None.
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 8

Thoughts and Opinions

Rhode Island, the franchise, has shown that a team can flip the switch and play really good soccer. Rhode Island, this year, has had a mixed bag of results, coming into the game with a 3W-3D-3L record while scoring 4 goals twice (vs Charleston and Brooklyn) and conceding at least 3 goals twice (vs Louisville and Birmingham). Indy's highest output this year has been a couple of 3-goal games (Monterey Bay and Lexington, but not counting the 3-nil result against Des Moines). So the potential existed for the game to be a high-scoring affair. Instead, what happened was a 1-nil win for Indy Eleven after getting a second half goal and then grinding out the result with good team defense at the end of the game.

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

The player landmarks continue to roll in for the Indy Eleven players. Lindley officially overtook Ayoze for the Games Started lead in team history, as well as the Minutes Played statistic, which also pushed him over the 15,000 minute mark for his USL Championship career. 

Not to be outdone, Aodhan Quinn achieved his 300th regular season appearance in USL Championship, while also becoming the first player to reach 25,000 minutes in the league. 

Congrats on the milestones, guys!

When Indy has the kickoff for the first or second half, the team lines up like the kind of football with the oblong ball. Multiple guys line up on the center stripe like a bunch of wide receivers and tight ends getting ready to make a run downfield for a Hail Mary pass. Once the referee blows the whistle, it doesn't look that much different from that other kind of football play as the ball gets blasted up the field in the hope that somebody latches onto the ball. Usually, it doesn't amount to much, but that type of start does set up the team to get an early shot if they get the first or second header. In this game, Indy's starting play resulted in Indy getting their first shot on target just 17 seconds into the game, but Okello's shot was right at Vegas for the first save of the game.

After that, though, the game turned into an up-and-down game as neither team seemed to care that much about holding possession and working slowly up the field from the back. Both teams looked to get the ball into their offensive half as quickly as possible. Watching the game, you can see how Rhode Island can score a bunch of goals, but can also concede a bunch of goals. The first half included some good shots and shots on target, including a shot by Rendon that just drifted wide of the post, but that was about the only shot that could be argued really tested the goalkeepers or had a legitimate shot in breaking the dead lock. As a result, the two teams finished the half nil-nil, with nearly identical statistics.

Post Indy Goal Shot Map

Indy got the scoring started in the 55th minute when Rendon connected on a corner kick ball put in by Quinn. The opportunity was created by some good interplay between Rendon and Neidlinger that was ushered across the endline by Rhode Island. Rendon's shot happened as he drifted away from the goal and put his shot in the left side netting in a place where Vegas couldn't get to it. Rendon admitted after the game that he wasn't completely sure how he managed to get the ball where it finished, but was glad that it did.

Just seconds after the restart, Rhode Island had their own opportunity when the communication by the Indy defenders looked like the were using Morse Code and Kwizera nearly snuck a shot around the defenders and Dick. Fortunately for the home fans, Kwizera pushed the shot wide. Indy's goal and Kwizera's effort ratcheted up the Rhode Island intensity and the play tilted drastically to Rhode Island's advantage. 

Despite the barrage of shots that Rhode Island sent towards the Indy goal in the final 30 minutes of the game, the late equalizer that Indy has frequently conceded never occurred and Indy Eleven extended their league home unbeaten streak to 9 games and getting Dick his first clean sheet of the season. Thanks to the other results around the league tonight, including losses by Detroit and Louisville (who dropped an unprecedented - for them - fourth straight loss), Indy vaulted up the table to 2nd place. With a third of their season complete, I'm not sure that was where I would have picked them to be given the youth of the roster and the injuries they have sustained. 

There's still a lot of season left to play out, but based on my records, the last time Indy was this high in the table was Week 18 of the 2024 season when they were ranked 3rd before finishing the season in 4th. The last time they were sitting higher than Louisville in the table was Week 5 of the 2021 season (Louisville finished that season top of the table while Indy missed the playoffs, so hopefully that doesn't repeat itself). 

Indy return to action next week to play League One side Forward Madison as part of the Prinx Tires USL Cup. Given Indy's recent struggles against their League One opponents, it's impossible to gauge how the team will fare despite the continued string of good results at home in league play. It seems highly unlikely that Indy will make it out of group play due to their other USL Cup results and the other teams' results, but Coach McAuley holds Cup competitions in high regard so I'm sure he will have the team fired up to make a good showing of themselves in the final group stage games.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

When the season started, it was generally believed that Paco Craig was signed to provide depth at the defender position. Given the early injury to Pat Hogan, Craig became the starter. White has also sustained a season-long injury, meaning the back line has been in constant flux this year. With Herbert's temporary departure from the team while away on international duty as part of the friendlies ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Craig was once again thrust into playing alongside a different defender, while also trying to help contain Rhode Island's dangerous striker J.J. Williams. Time and again tonight, it seemed like Craig was in the right position to help his young defense partner, Rasheed, contain Williams. Looking at his stats for the game, Craig won every single one of his duels, every single one of his aerial duels, and accounted for 14 of the team's 42 clearances. On a night when Indy get a 1-nil victory and their first league clean sheet of the season, Craig was a big reason why. I could give the GBGB to Rendon for his goal or Dick for the clean sheet, but I think the 33 year old 5-time All-USL defender deserves the recognition tonight. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography