Indy Eleven vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds - 12.11

Summary

- Opponent: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,207
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, Hogan, Ofeimu, Musa, McRobb, Blake, Murphy, Quinn (C), Rendon, Lindley, Amoh

- Substitution: Kizza 69' (Amoh); White 69' (McRobb); Foster 69' (Blake); Soumaoro 77' (Murphy); Collier 84' (Quinn)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, O'Brien, J.

Scoring Summary:
IND - Blake 45'+2' (assist Quinn)

- Bookings:

None

- Referee: Alyssa Nichols

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

It's been 10 days since Indy played a game, but the introduction of last week's game still applied tonight. 

"Both needed points from the game. Both really needed a win from the game."

It doesn't take a detailed look at the table to see that the top teams in the conference have separated themselves from the rest of the conference. Below them, it gets messier. Detroit came into the night at 5th, but had played 2 more games than the teams around them. Pittsburgh sat in 6th after getting a couple of wins in the past two games. Indy, Miami, and Hartford had all played one or two less games than everybody else on the bottom end of the table. As such, it's difficult to say exactly what the table should look like. Indy sat below the playoff line, mostly because Indy's results map showed a bunch of draws, a few losses, a two bookend wins. Playing at home, Coach McAuley has stressed how much the team needs to convert the draws and losses into wins. With a 1-nil win against the visiting Riverhounds, Indy have strung together back-to-back wins for the first time all season, while also giving themselves a 4-game undefeated streak across all competitions and a 3-game undefeated streak at home. You can't call it a fortress by any means, but maybe the team is trending in the right direction.

What struck me looking at the two teams was that both teams came in with a negative goal differential (-2 for Indy, -1 for Pittsburgh). More importantly though was how those goal differentials were created. Pittsburgh has scored 9 goals and conceded 10, while Indy has scored 18 goals and conceded 20. So far this season, Pittsburgh hasn't scored many goals, but they also haven't conceded many either. Contrarily, Indy haven't had any issues scoring, having not been held without a goal in any game, league or otherwise, all season, but they've also leaked goals a ton of goals, often at inopportune times. Which team won seemed to hinge on who could overcome their goal scoring/conceding trend. Would Pittsburgh's defense remain stout or would Indy's goal scoring win out? 

Half Heatmap

In nearly the entirety of the first half of the game, it had all the appearances that a single goal could be a winner, with the game playing out as a midfielder battle. However, in stoppage time, Pittsburgh's Barnes slipped in the Indy defensive half. McRobb picked up the gift and pushed it forward to Quinn. With Pittsburgh's defense in a rare position of being out of shape, Quinn had a 30-yard run uncontested. Amoh drew the remaining defenders to him with a run to the near post, which opened up space for an onrushing Blake. Quinn found Blake in stride. Blake took one touch that forced Vacter to overrun the play, which gave Blake just enough window to get a left-footed shot on frame. The ball took a slight deflection on the way through, helping it get passed Dick to allow the home team to go into the locker room with a 1-nil lead. 

The question in Indy's fans' minds was whether Indy could keep that lead. Getting a lead hasn't been a problem this year; holding onto them until the final whistle has been a major problem. As the game crept beyond the 65th minute, Pittsburgh began to step up their pressure and tilt the field towards Indy's goals. With 10 games of history under their belt, the Indy fans began to get that sinking feeling. Was the season of near-wins going to continue? 

In an increased focus on team defending, and defending for the full ninety minutes translated to Indy's first home win of the season. 

"Every week, sometimes one player steps up. Today, I think today was a full team performance. Everybody played their part on both sides of the ball. I will say the work that Jack, Elvis, and Quinny did from a defending standpoint and putting pressure on the ball and then retaining possession of the ball when we had to, I thought they were excellent. But then their work rate is infectious, cause then it drops into the midfield, and then once the back 3 start seeing everyone winning challenges in front of them, they have a massive responsibility to compete and I thought they were excellent tonight."

Indy continue their Summer of Soccer next week when the Western Conference's Las Vegas Lights make the trip to The Mike. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

As I've stated many times, sometimes the GBGB comes down to an eyeball test, many times independent of stats. I nearly gave this to Amoh for his effort up top, and statistically he was very similar to my actual winner of the GBGB, but he was edged by Quinn. Just barely, but my eyeball test just kept noticing the effort from Quinn, and that's not dig on Amoh's effort which was stellar. The insertion of Lindley into the lineup has allowed Quinn to push forward more knowing that Lindley is helping cover the ground in front of the back 3, and Quinn is making full use of that assistance. Obviously he had the assist on Blake's goal, but he was constantly forcing the Pittsburgh defenders into making quick decisions with the ball, thereby helping Indy win back the ball. As Coach McAuley indicated, it was a good team effort, but Quinn edges his teammates for the GBGB.

Photos: Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Kings Hammer - 04.06

Summary

- Opponent: Kings Hammer FC
- Location: Stadium Field - Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 2-0 L

- Starting XI: Edwards, Chatterton, Bahr (C), Molloy, Albert, Smith, Pinto, Yamazaki, Chester, Soderstrom-Bulger, Guthrie

- Substitution: Joyce 45' (Bahr); Sochacki 45' (Guthrie); May 61' (Bulger); Komori 61' (Chester); Satterfield 74' (Chatterton); White 74' (Molloy)

- Unused: Wyatt

Scoring Summary:
KHFC – Simmons 23' (unassisted)
KHFC - Bain 76' (assist Yordy)

- Bookings:

KHFC - Frey 72' (Yellow)

- Referee: Jeff Chop

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

Playing simultaneously to this game, Racing Louisville and Lexington SC were playing their Kentucky Derby (I don't know what they call it... Maybe the Bluegrass Derby since the Kentucky Derby is probably trademarked...). Regardless, Kings Hammer had already helped Indy by beating Racing last week. If Lexington could do the same tonight, that would bring Racing to 2 losses, even with Indy, assuming Indy took care of business against Kings Hammer to avenge their earlier loss to the team from Cincinnati. Kings Hammer would still be ahead of Indy, and Indy would still need help, but the math would start working its way towards Indy winning the Division if they could take care of their business in the remaining games. Unfortunately for Indy fans, neither happened as Indy fell 2-nil to Kings Hammer and Racing finished in a 1-1 draw to Lexington. With three losses on the season and two against Kings Hammer, Indy will play out their final 4 games for pride now that the odds of winning the Division are out of reach.

Another game, another appreciation post for the work of ISC Sports and their telecasts of the Indy Eleven games, and Indy Eleven's use of ISC Sports for said streaming purposes. I'm not sure how Kings Hammer was streaming this game, but I lost track of the number of times I was watching green grass without a ball anywhere in sight. For so many of the other teams in the Division (I'm looking at you Racing), pre-professional players means bare minimum camera work. To be fair to Ethan Herzog, commentary was fine. I also have to give credit to the Kings Hammer staff responsible for the X feed, which was much more detailed than any of the above mentioned teams (including Indy).

While I'm on the topic of pre-professional meaning a reduced standard in other places, refereeing in the league is, how do I say this nicely, woefully inconsistent. Apparently, in this game, being in an offside position means that you are offside even if the ball isn't played anywhere close to you. Also, if a player is falling on their own because they're trying to spin their self out of the defense, a free kick is awarded just outside the box. A free kick, in this game, that led to the opening goal by Kings Hammer in the 23rd minute when the ball deflected off a player adjacent to the wall and snuck passed an outstretched Edwards. 

The goal turned out to be the game winner, but Kings Hammer deserved to win this game. I honestly not sure that I would call them the more technical team, but they were much more effective in doing what they wanted to do than Indy was able to do. Winning teams score more goals. Indy's goose egg means the team has now lost more games this season (excluding playoff results) than the past three seasons combined. Interestingly, when Indy keeps a clean sheet, they win by a combined 10-nil score line. When the concede goals, they lose being outscored by a combined 6-2. Indy also are either hot or cold on the season; wins or losses but no draws.

The last time we saw Grace Bahr carried off a pitch, she had torn her ACL in the League Championship game in 2023. As soon as I saw her crumble to the ground after a late first half challenge, I was worried. When I saw Chatterton immediately run to Grace once the ball was cleared, I feared the worst. When she didn't return after the halftime break, my fear grew. It's difficult to overstate what Bahr means to this team and the defense. She's the rock in the defense, and the connecting piece for the team culture between this team and the winning teams in the past. Her experience is vital for a team full of young Academy players. 

Maybe it's an incorrect assessment on my part, but I have had a feeling each game this year that teams are playing Indy more physically than in the past. I've also felt like Indy has struggled with that physicality, expecting a whistle to be blown more often. An expectation that continues to not be met.

Due to the poor camera work, I can't say that every call was correct, but when the two teams combine for double-digit offside calls, either the players never learned to adjust their runs or the assistant referees don't know what constitutes offside. In this game, I think it was likely a combination of both. I'm not convinced that the two goals that Kings Hammer had called back due to offside calls were truly offside. 

Indy hit the woodwork two more times, bringing their total to 7 across both games against Kings Hammer. Kings Hammer converted two set piece attempts, which proved to be the deciding factor in this game. Kings Hammer are in the driver seat as the seats turns into the second half of the schedule. They finish with three games against Lexington, who haven't shown me that they are capable of beating KHFC that many times; a game against Louisville, who they have already beat once this season; and a game against Dayton, who everybody has beaten. An undefeated season from Kings Hammer doesn't seem out of the question.

Indy return to action next Monday when they return to Ohio to face the Dayton Dutch Lions, then Lexington at their place, before returning to Grand Park for the final two games of the season against Racing and Dayton. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

This was another game on the road where players just didn't look like their normal selves. Some of that can be attributed to Kings Hammer, but even a player like Chester was having a hard time with her decisions, passes, and footing (there was a lot of that issue). Once again, though, the players that kept jumping out to me on the effort and decision making was Pinto and Yamazaki. In a 2-nil loss, it's unlikely that any player still had a perfect game, but I'll give tonight's GBGB to those two players, who have quickly proven to me to be assets to this team.

Indy Eleven vs Lexington SC - 04.05

Summary

- Opponent: Lexington SC
- Location: Grand Park Event Center
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 5-0 W

- Starting XI: Edwards, Chatterton, Bahr (C), Kruer, Albert, Yamazaki, Pinto, Smith, Chester, Williams-Osswald, Soderstrom-Bulger

- Substitution: Komori 61' (Chester); Adam 61' (Chatterton); Sochacki 73' (Bulger); Joyce 73' (Yamazaki); Beasley 79' (Smith); Budish 79' (Osswald); White 79' (Albert)

- Unused: Wyatt, Molloy

Scoring Summary:
IND – Pinto 6' (assist Smith)
IND - Osswald 26' (assist Yamazaki)
IND - Osswald 44' (assist Bulger)
IND - Chester 45' (unassisted)
IND - Sochacki 85' (assist Bahr)

- Bookings:

LEX - Sexton 36' (Yellow)

- Referee: ??

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

In the midst of an unprecedented losing streak for The Girls in Blue, having Lexington show up at Grand Park was not the team Indy was most eager to see. Former Coach and former teammates on the other side of the ball, and the second of three times playing the team from Lexington, creates a chess match of tactics. Coming into the night, Indy likely would have preferred to see Dayton, a team that's conceded a lot of goals this season, but you have to play the team in front of you when they're scheduled. By the end of the night, Indy had defeated Lexington 5-nil and showed that when they play to their potential, they're still a good team. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

The game within the game was always what intrigued me about the games against Lexington this year. In the first outing a few weeks ago, Indy was without Chester, Bulger (Soderstrom), and Osswald (Williams) so that was a new wrinkle for Lexington to defend. But, Coach Dolinsky really knows what all those players are capable of providing to Indy. But, I've always been impressed with Osswald's tactical IQ and I knew she would be able to figure out and adjust to whatever Coach Dolinsky wanted his defenders to do against her and Bulger. Whoever could win the chess match, the game within the game, was going to be the one to come out on top tonight. That, and if Indy could be clinical and avoid the woodwork like last week's game...

It was Indy that got out of the gates fast, scoring a 6th minute goal off the boot of Pinto who took a long-range shot that found the lower right corner of the goal. Unlike their male counterparts who scored an early goal on Wednesday and then became more defensive-minded, Coach Kim and the women are not inclined to do that. Knowing that Coach Dolinsky also wants to attack and then attack some more, the potential for more goals by both teams was high with 84 minutes to go. In the early stages of the game, Coach Dolinsky had his Lexington side overloading the midfield when they were in possession, regularly leaving just two defenders back. Indy's early goal and propensity to go forward caused him to rethink that strategy for a little bit, but quickly dropped back into that tactic. 

Interestingly, both coaches could be easily heard barking commands to their players over the sparse crowd, telling each other what they were doing or wanting to do. The chess match is a bit more interesting when you can hear what your opponent is thinking.

Osswald doubled the advantage in the 26th minute that she admitted to me was intended to be a cross that she mishit slightly. So instead of the ball finding a path along the 6-yard box for an on-rushing teammate, it drifted towards the goal. Garrity was unable to push it over the bar cleanly and it dropped into the goal after a couple of deflections off the post and her knee. Given that it was headed into the goal without the touches from the goalkeeper, Osswald was given credit for the goal. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

As the half began to close, Lexington's Garrity made a questionable decision trying to play out of the back that nearly resulted in a goal by Bulger who hadn't given up on the ball. Garrity just barely got the ball out of her feet and across the end line for a corner kick. Looking flustered by conceding two goals and nearly giving up a third, Indy's forwards smelled blood in the water and became persistent. Immediately before the clock ran out of regulation time, Osswald brought down a ball near the six-yard box, took a touch to her left that freed a window when her defender overran the ball, and Osswald put a left-footed shot under the outstretched leg of the recovering defender and passed Garrity who was leaning the wrong direction. Seconds later, Chester intercepted a ball being played out of the back by Lexington and immediately ran at the goal. A slight push of the ball to the left, and she uncorked a left-footed shot to the right side of the goal. At halftime, Coach Dolinsky had his backup keeper, Bolton, warming up, realizing his starting net minder was rattled having given up 4 goals in the half.

After the break, Coach Dolinsky made two other changes in addition to his keeper trying to breath some life into his shell-shocked squad. For the first ten minutes, the game was very even with both teams getting opportunities on goal. However as much as Lexington wanted to control and overload the midfield, it was Indy's midfield that was up to the task and stifled the Lexington offense. The midfielders and defenders put themselves in good positions to limit whatever Lexington was trying to do. They switched well as Lexington tried to change the point of attack, and recovered nicely when Lexington did get balls into the final third.

Indy and Lexington have now played each other twice in this compact, fast-paced season. So far, Coach Kim is getting the best of his former boss in this chess match:

Indy Eleven 7 - Lexington SC 0

Coach Kim 2 - Coach Dolinsky 0

This team isn't used to losing, and a 5-nil clean sheet helps restore some of the confidence for the upcoming games that Indy are going to need to win to stay in the conversation for the Division title and the playoffs. The official stats indicate that Indy had 11 shots and Lexington goalkeepers had 4 saves. 4 saves + 5 goals = 9 shots on target. 9 shots on target out of 11 shots = 81.8% shot accuracy. That also helps with confidence.

Indy return to action next Wednesday when they go on the road to face Kings Hammer.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Tonight, the GBGB isn't going to a single player. Coach Dolinsky brought his Lexington squad to Indy and put them into a 2-5-3 arrangement while in attack, severely overloading the midfield. Not discounting the effort from Indy's back four, which did a stellar job, the midfield, anchored by Pinto in the holding midfielder position, completely stifled the Lexington midfield. In the second half, it was clear that they had run out of ideas on how to get through the Indy midfield. In the rare occasions when they did, Bahr and company helped put out any of those fires. The midfield four of Pinto, Yamazaki, Smith, and Chester get tonight's GBGB for their ability to take away what Lexington wanted to do.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Birmingham Legion - 12.10

Summary

- Opponent: Birmingham Legion
- Location: Protective Stadium
- Attendance: 
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, McRobb, Musa, Ofeimu, Hogan, Blake, Murphy, Quinn (C), Rendon, Lindley, Amoh

- Substitution: O'Brien, J. 69' (McRobb); Kizza 69' (Amoh); Bryneus 77' (Lindley); Soumaoro 77' (Blake); Collier 90' (Quinn)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Foster

Scoring Summary:
IND - Lindley 4' (assist Blake)

- Bookings:

BHM - Centeno 16' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 27' (Yellow)
BHM - Damus 70' (Yellow)

BHM - Hernandez-Foster 75' (Yellow)

BHM - Torres 76' (Yellow)
IND - O'Brien, J. 90'+1' (Yellow)
IND - Murphy 90'+4' (Yellow)

- Referee: Elton Garcia

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

Both needed points from the game. Both really needed a win from the game. There had never been anything but a draw in the history of the series between the two clubs, with the record even for both teams with 6 wins and 6 losses. Based on past experience, it would have been a good bet that one of the teams was going to get the full three points. Indy fans rejoiced the continuation of that trend thanks to a 4th minute strike from Cam Lindley that gave Indy an early lead that they wouldn't relinquish. 

In the first of two games between these two teams in the month (today's league game and at Indy as part of the Jagermeister Cup group play at the end of the month), and the first of three games on the season, both teams had to deal with some squad adjustment due to injuries and international call-ups. One of the beneficiaries of those adjustments for Indy was Cam Lindley who picked up his first league start of the season. With the start, Lindley overtook Franco for Games Played in team history. More importantly though, Lindley made the best use of his start by blasting a shot into the lower left side of the goal from well outside the 18-yard box. 

Musa was given a introduction to the speed of former Indy player Tyler Pasher for Birmingham's first shot of the game. Sulte was able to parry away the shot for a corner kick, preventing Birmingham from getting on the board. The next time the two faced each other, Pasher's speed and footwork with the ball was more than Musa could handle and he had to drag down the speedy forward, resulting in a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box. There was a foul on the restart, but Pasher doesn't seem to have lost any of his pace since his time in Indy. 

Half - Heatmap

Pace though, despite Pasher's periodic displays of it, was not the theme of the first half. Whether it was the heat of the Alabama night or tactics, but neither team looked inclined to put too much speed to their actions for chunks of the half. Obviously, there were the occasional bursts, but taken in its entirety, the half was played slowly and deliberately. Each team was above 85% passing accuracy for the half, with Birmingham at 87% in Indy's half of the field. The first half was spent mostly around the middle circle, with both teams content to let possession there happen there. If I was trying to be clever, I guess I could try to say "what happens at half field stays at half field" might be a thing. Not being clever, the first half really looked like two teams that have struggled for consistent results playing the first half trying to figure out how to get a result. Indy scored early and looked content at times to just let that one ride, without taking too many chances that would get them out of defensive shape. For a team that has conceded untimely goals, there's some logic to that, but the 86-minute bunker never seems to go that well. Birmingham, despite a 7-3 shot (most of those well off target), didn't look like they had any ideas on how to break the bunker. So to Indy's credit, the bunker did seem to work in the half. 

Early in the second half, Indy's passivity was not matched by Birmingham, who finally looked like they had a fire lit under them by Coach Mark Griggs during the halftime break. Whereas their first half position was hovering around the midfield circle, their line of conflict in the second half was further up the field. The change in their mentality led to some early shots, including one that rattled the post. 

Then the game, already at a measured pace, ground to an absolute stop when referee Elton Garcia stopped the game, reportedly, due to abusive language from the Birmingham fans behind the Indy goal. The delay added 7 minutes of stoppage time, but play did resume after some warnings from the public address announcer. 

Full - Shots

Despite being on the wrong end of nearly every statistical category (shots, shots on target, possession, duels, aerial duels, corners, passing accuracy, crosses, crossing accuracy, tackle success rate), Indy were on the right end of the score, getting a much needed 1-nil win on the road. It wasn't the 3-3 fireworks from the last game, but Indy's ability to make Birmingham shoot from distance was the difference tonight. Birmingham outshot Indy 21 to 5, but many of those shots were well high or wide. They did seem to be narrowing that window as the game progressed so if they had some more time, maybe the 6 shots they had on target would have been more threatening. Regardless, Indy will take the win and get back to Indy as quickly as possible, knowing they finally have their second league win a full third of the way through the league schedule. Still a lot of season to go, but as the saying goes, "if you want to get out of a hole, you have to first stop digging." Indy did that tonight with the win.

Indy now have 10 days off before returning to The Mike to face another team desperate to get positive results when Pittsburgh makes the trip to Indy. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

The guy has been getting mop-up minutes in most games, but has seemingly continued to work hard during training, and has had a professional attitude about his minutes. A game winner on the road and a good shift in his first league start of the year means that Cam Lindley also gets the GBGB. I'm sure he'll enjoy the goal and the win a lot more than a recognition from me, but I continue to be impressed with Lindley and the effort he gives in his limited minutes this season.

Indy Eleven vs Kings Hammer - 04.04

Summary

- Opponent: Kings Hammer FC
- Location: Grand Park Event Center
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 3-2 L

- Starting XI: Edwards, Malin, Bahr (C), Malloy, Satterfield, Yamazaki, Pinto, Smith, Chester, Williams-Osswald, Soderstrom-Bulger

- Substitution: Guthrie 45' (Chester); Chatterton 45' (Malin); Joyce 68' (Smith); Trandji 68' (Soderstrom-Bulger); Molloy 79' (Kruer); Albert 82' (Satterfield); Sochacki 82' (Williams-Osswald)

- Unused: Wyatt, Komori

Scoring Summary:
KHFC – Britt 10' (assist Broering)
KHFC - Erbach 25' (assist Smith)
IND - Yamazaki 39' (assist Chester)
KHFC - Flax 86' (assist Carle)
IND - Joyce 88' (assist Bahr)

- Bookings:

None

- Referee: Erin Patterson

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

Kings Hammer has regularly given Indy a good game and were Indy's first opponent in the inaugural game of the inaugural season of the W League, so it's been a long history. Tonight marked the 8th game between the two teams, with Indy holding a 4W-3D-0L advantage coming into the game over the team from Cincinnati, but that means that Kings Hammer account for 60% of Indy's draws in the club's history. Which is why it wasn't altogether surprising that Kings Hammer scored the game's first goal from a corner kick that Indy couldn't get cleared. What was surprising for Indy fans was that the goal was the first of three in the game and Indy could only muster two of their own to finish with a 3-2 loss and their second loss in as many games. For a club that struggles for consistency in results, Indy fans could bank on the women's team getting wins, not just results. Two losses in a row has historically seem like an improbability, but that's where the team and the fans find themselves. Indy have nowt put a ton of pressure on themselves if they want to repeat as the Division champs for the 4th year in a row. The margin of error for that to happen has likely dropped to zero with tonight's loss. The good news for Indy is that with the exception of Dayton who have not fared well against any of the other teams, it's unlikely any team in the division is going to make it through unscathed. So if Indy can take care of their business, they're likely going to get help from their opponents. The Division title isn't lost tonight, but it's currently on a dangerous precipice. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Coach Kim wasn't messing around with his starting lineup tonight though. Captain Bahr in the back, obviously, but the forward line consisted of Williams-Osswald, and Soderstrom-Bulger and Chester in their first appearances for the team this season. That's a combined 118 starts for the four for the Girls in Blue, and a combined 59 goals (or ~46% of the team's goals in the history of the team), as well as the team's top two assist makers. Not to mention the four include the team's leaders in Game Winners (Soderstrom-Bulger & Williams-Osswald) and account for 3 of the team's 4 hat tricks (Williams-Osswald (2); Soderstrom-Bulger (1)). Knowing these players can't always make the away trips due to their life schedules that are significantly different than their younger teammates', Coach Kim gave them all a chance to make an immediate impact on the game. With her start tonight, Grace Bahr became the team's career start leader, overtaking Ella Rogers. Bahr overtook Rogers as the career leader in minutes a couple of games ago. Chester was on a minutes restriction as she returns from an injury, but she looked really good in the 45-minutes that she played. 

After Kings Hammer took the early lead in the 10th minute when a corner kick to the back post was headed back towards the middle of the box which Britt one-timed to Edwards' right, Indy nearly pulled one back in the 15th minute, but the experienced players in Soderstrom-Bulger and Williams-Osswald saw their shots hit the post and then pushed over the top on the rebound. Kings Hammer were controlling the possession, but Indy's midfield and forwards were finding dangerous and threating ways around and through. Much like the mid-week men's game, this game looked like there were going to be more goals in it and that it was just going to be a matter of who could convert their chances. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Kings Hammer nearly doubled their lead in the 19th minute, but Edwards' reaction save kept the home team within reach. A few minutes later, Soderstrom-Bulger put a ball over the crossbar from the 6-yard box in the 23rd minute that seems like the kind of shot and location that would normally be harder for her to miss than make, but somehow she got her foot under it and looped it over the crossbar. Indy's three experienced forwards looked a bit out of sync in the early minutes, and maybe a bit rusty, but still had their moments where they looked like the best players on the field. Seconds after Soderstrom-Bulger's miss, Kings Hammer did finally double their lead when Erbach took a shot from outside the 18-yard box that just made it over the outstretched arm of Edwards and just under the crossbar.

The Girls in Blue were not as lucky with the Kings Hammer crossbar as they tallied 1 post & 2 crossbars in the first half, which would have made for a very different conversation in the halftime locker room. They were getting chances and good looks to claw their way back into the game, but were just a hair away from getting on the scoreboard. The thing that the Kings Hammer players were doing well was that they were adamant about trying to not let Indy's known commodities up front get the best of them. Two players were regularly running to the ball to defend when any of those players received the ball. Given their proficiency in scoring in this league, that's a good and smart tactic.

Crossbar hit #3 came in the 52nd minute from a shot by Soderstrom-Bulger that would have equalized the game. Five minutes later, Kings Hammer's goalkeeper Galley pushed a shot/cross against the crossbar to keep her team in the lead. She didn't have a lot of options, but when the posts and crossbars are working for you, you use what's working. The woodwork was not Indy's friend as they found it five times during the game. With that kind of close calls, it starts to feel like it's just not your night.

Kings Hammer would get their 3rd insurance goal in the 86th minute when Bahr was unable to get Carle contained as she made a run to the endline before turning it back inside. Bahr kicked the ball which bounced off Carle, but in the opposite direction of Bahr's momentum, putting Carle a step ahead of Bahr. Not wanting to concede a penalty kick by fouling in the box, Bahr found herself behind Carle, trying to not give the referee any option to call a foul. Carle laid the ball off to an onrushing Flax who had snuck between Indy defenders and easily redirected it past Edwards. While Indy would get a late long-distance goal from Joyce, the third Kings Hammer goal would prove to be the game winner.

Indy have a week between games before Coach Dolinsky and Lexington return to Grand Park for the second of three meetings. Hopefully the second version is able to be played on the same night as it starts, but the chess match between the two coaches and friends will be the main talking point of the game as the two coaches try to outwit and anticipate the other's tactical adjustments.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

In a game where Indy started Williams-Osswald, Soderstrom-Bulger, Chester, and Bahr, it was the midfielder from Japan that I kept noticing doing good things with the ball. The fact that Yamazaki also got the goal to open her account and Indy's scoring on the night was a testament to her work rate and her reward for her effort on both sides of the ball. There were other good performances, but as I've stated before, when it comes to the GBGB, sometimes it's just a gut feeling and an eyeball test on who actually gets it. Yamazaki was that player tonight.

A Final Thought - Maddy Williams-Osswald

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

There are a wide range of players when it comes to the USL W League in both age and experience. In nearly every soccer/football league/level in the world, the thing that most stands out to me as you move to better and better players is their first touch and their IQ. Even while not playing or training full-time, Williams-Osswald continues to demonstrate her IQ and touch are just better than the majority of players that I've watched in this league. Whereas her teammates and her opponents tonight had to regularly chase down a ball after a poor first touch, her first touch is almost always impeccable. It's that first touch that allows her to then use her IQ to put passes (properly weighted passes) to teammates. For better or for worse with this year's team that is using more Academy players than in previous years, the correct run that she sees should be made isn't made from her teammates. Or the heavy passes that they send to her that don't give her the chance to do anything with the ball. To me, Maddy is the perfect example of how an injury (and then a pandemic) can derail what I think should have been a long professional career. She moved onto "life after soccer" long before her talent has given way. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography