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