- Opponent: Racing Louisville SC
- Location: Grand Park
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 2-1 L
- Starting XI: Edwards (C), Chatterton, Adam, Kruer, Albert, Smith, Yamazaki, Pinto, Komori, Sochacki, Chester
- Substitution: Satterfield 45' (Albert); Jennings 45' (Komori); Sochacki 45' (May); Joyce 60' (Chester); Beasley 68' (Pinto); Malin 68' (Chatterton)
- Unused: Phillips, Bahr
Scoring Summary:
LOU - Smith 21' (unassisted)
LOU - Smith 33' (penalty kick)
IND - Joyce 85' (assist Yamazaki)
- Bookings:
LOU - Lund 54' (Yellow)
- Referee: Sao Kamara
- Adage goals: None.
Thoughts and Opinions
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| Photo: Matt Schlotzhauer |
I've said before that when Indy Eleven decide to start honoring players that have had a significant affect on the club, Brad Ring should be the first. I'm going to adjust that statement slightly. Brad Ring should be the first from the men's team. The first woman to be honored should be Grace Bahr. There will be others that can and should be mentioned in the conversation, but Bahr should be the first. Part-time coach, part-time player, full-time captain. She has given everything in the service of the club, including now two ACLs. She has been the rock in the defensive line, and the leadership voice across all the lines across four seasons and age groups. Bahr is the team's all-time leader in Appearances (40), Starts (38), Minutes (3,416), Top 3 in Assists (6), and Top 4 in Game Winners (3), proving that the defensive captain impacted the game everywhere and every time she stepped onto the field. All the stats aside, Bahr is likely your favorite player's favorite player. When Indy clinched the league title in 2023, most of the players ran to her first to celebrate as she sat in a knee brace with the first ACL injury sustained in that game. After her most recent ACL injury a few games ago against Kings Hammer, Grace has decided to hang up her boots and move to Ohio for the next stage of her life working at the club where she first got her start playing. Brad Ring may have been the first to be dubbed as the Legend by Indy fans, but those of us who have had the privilege of watching Bahr give everything to this club know that not having the official club nickname doesn't mean that you aren't one. Grace Bahr is a legend and I wish her nothing but the best moving forward. The respect she deserves extends beyond just the Indy Eleven fans and players, which is why both teams tonight agreed to allow Grace to start tonight's game and receive the accolades she deserves from her teammates and competitors. Good luck Grace in your next phase of life (and, more imminently, in your upcoming surgery and rehab), but you'll always be #IndyForever.
After Grace received her accolades, she stepped off the field and Chatterton stepped in to play the remaining 89 minutes. The early moments of the game looked very much like two teams that have played each other before and were trying to figure out the best way through their opponent. Indy had just the slightest of edge in control of the tempo and possession, but couldn't do much with it. As time passed, Louisville began to tilt the field in their favor.
A couple minutes after the 20-minute mark, a recycled ball found Louisville's Smith about 25-yards from goal. A touch to her right to get the ball in a more central location and she put a shot over Edwards to get the scoring started. The goal further energized the Louisville squad and the field firmly tilted entirely towards Edwards in goal. The continued pressure eventually forced a lunging defensive effort from the typically stalwart Chatterton where she missed the ball and caught the Louisville player. Unfortunately, that foul occurred within the Indy 18-yard box and the referee quickly and correctly pointed to the spot. Smith stepped up again, firing her attempt low and to her right. Edwards guessed correctly, but couldn't get down quickly enough and the ball slide under her outstretched arm, giving the visitors a 2-nil lead. Indy found a bit more possession and opportunities after the second goal, but were unable to be too dangerous in the final third of the field and the teams went to the halftime locker rooms with the two-goal differential.
It's been a reoccurring thought for me this season, but Indy's opponents have just seemed more physical in their approach to 50/50 balls and tackles. I'm not sure why or if I'm accurate in that assessment, but it has just felt like Indy has been afraid to get a foul called against them and never adapted over the course of the season to the continued lack of whistles from the referees. The other teams have seemed to learn that they can get away with physical play and routinely muscled the Indy players off the ball. Or maybe it's a function of the youth of this team and not knowing they can, or maybe it's that they aren't yet capable of physically doing so against some older, more experienced players. Tonight, and in general in the losses this season, it often felt like Indy was missing a player that would try to throw the team on their back and will a victory. Bahr often tried, but she can't do all the scoring from the back. Seeing that timidity tonight made me nostalgic for a player like Hershfelt. Somebody who wasn't (and seemingly still isn't) afraid to get in on a tackle, yellow card be damned. I never thought Hal was dirty, but she made sure you knew she was in the midfield with her. The talent level is obvious for most of this current version of Indy Eleven players, so maybe it's just an experience and growth that will help their confidence to remove some of the timidity and decision-making.
The second half was more evenly matched, with Indy getting a few more of the dangerous chances than Louisville was able to muster, but Indy couldn't find the goal early enough that would have given them a light and make Louisville nervous. Indy did find the net in the 85th minute from a feed from Yamazaki that Joyce looped over Teague to prevent the shutout. Indy turned up the pressure some more in the dying minutes of the game, including nearly drawing their own penalty kick (which was correctly determined to be outside the box), but couldn't find the equalizing goal.
With the loss tonight and Indy's 5 total losses on the season, the best Indy can finish this season is .500 depending on the result Friday against Dayton. Indy could also finish 4th out of the 5 team division depending on Indy's result and the two games between Lexington and Kings Hammer. Now that Kings Hammer have clinched the Valley Division and Indy are out of the running, I have to root against Coach Dolinsky and Lexington when I was rooting for them just a couple of games ago (KHFC won tonight vs LEX 4-2). Indy finish off the season on Friday against Dayton, who have struggled to even get goals much less wins, so hopefully Indy can finish on a strong note. It will be interesting to see if, or how much, the more experienced players like Osswald and Bulger play, or if Coach Kim rolls with the youth in the final game to keep building their experiences.
The Game Beckons Game Ball
Despite the losing result, there were some good performances from players. Kruer played well in the back. Pinto had a decent game. Yamazaki continues to impress me. Tonight, though, the player that I kept noticing doing good things time and again was Olivia Smith. She seemed to be everywhere for Indy. She was good on the ball, good on defense, and seemed to be doing whatever she could to get the team a win. Tonight, she might have been the closest one to being the player I mentioned earlier about trying to put the team on her back. She looked like a player that is going into her Senior season at IU. Tonight's effort didn't get the team a win, but it does get her the GBGB.
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