Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island - 11.35 - USL Playoffs (Conference Quarterfinals)

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium Stadium
- Attendance: 7,623
- Final Score: 3-2 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Musa, Ofeimu, Stanley, Neidlinger, Soumaoro, Blake, Quinn (C), Martinez, Williams, A., Foster

- Substitution: Williams, R. 54' (Williams, A.); White 55' (Soumaoro); Diz Pe 75' (Stanley); Collier 75' (Neidlinger)

- Unused: Oettl, Guenzatti, Wootton

Scoring Summary:
RI - Williams 19' (Penalty Kick)
IND - Quinn 35' (unassisted)
RI - Williams 38' (unassisted)
RI - Williams 52' (assist Kwizera)
IND - Martinez 76' (assist Quinn)

- Bookings:

IND - Martinez 45'+2' (Yellow)
IND - Foster 58' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 69' (Yellow)
RI - Herivaux 81' (Yellow)
IND - Ofeimu 90'+2' (Yellow)

- Referee: Joshua Encarnacion

- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

The playoffs of any sport are just different. Teams work hard all year to put themselves into a position to have the best chance at success in the "win-or-go-home" scenario that the playoffs create. Indy used an 9-game undefeated run in the middle of the year and a 4W-4D-2L run to close out the season to give themselves an opening round home playoff game. Notably, Indy picked up a late stoppage time draw against Pittsburgh get a draw, which allowed them to finish even on points with Rhode Island. The August win against Rhode Island was the determining factor in giving Indy the head-to-head tiebreaker, thereby allowing Indy to host today's conference quarterfinal game. Rhode Island made the playoffs in their inaugural season in the USL Championship, in part, thanks to a league single-season record setting number of draws (15). Rhode Island's talented roster kept themselves in most games and rode that consistency to the playoffs. They also went to Louisville and came away with a 5-2 victory, so this was a team that proved they can compete with everybody in the league.

With Taylor Swift looming large (literally and figuratively) as she closes out her United States tour in Indianapolis this weekend, the game received an early afternoon start time. The Swift Era took precedence over the McAuley Era for Indy's evening entertainment, but the earlier start time still allowed Indy Eleven to get over 7,000 people into the stadium, including a couple dozen Rhode Island fans. It was the Williams (this time J.J. and not Augi nor Romario) Era that stole the show for the game as he notched the first hat-trick from an Indy opponent this season in the 3-2 Rhode Island win that sent Indy to an early departure from the playoffs.

Rhode Island likes to play out of the back and utilize the new trend of having one of the defenders do the restart by passing the ball along the six-yard box to the goalkeeper, who makes the decision on whether to continue to pass around the back or blast the ball up the the field. Indy, contrarily, have no interest in playing out of the back, but would rather get the ball out of their half of the field with a Sulte boot. With that style of play, it's important for Indy to get the first, or second, ball off those kicks. Indy had a 39% to 61% disadvantage on aerial duels. It wasn't the only factor, but after some early effort from Indy, Rhode Island began to control the game and winning those balls, forcing Indy to defend for large amounts of time. Eventually, all the possession and corner kicks led to an inadvertent handball in the Indy box. That handball led to a successful penalty kick by Williams, which led to an early lead for Rhode Island on the road.

The goal from the visitors allowed the tactics to change for awhile in the game. Rhode Island knows that Indy's attack frequently relies on long passes over the top to the forwards. With the 1-nil lead, Rhode Island could sit their back five defenders deeper to make it nearly impossible for Indy to do much with the ball in the final third of the field. Midway through the half, Indy drew a foul outside of the box that Blake put around the wall low, which Vegas was able to push wide for an Indy corner kick. In the subsequent corner, the ball was headed out of the box by Holstad, but directly into the general area of where Quinn was positioned. Quinn patiently let the ball drop and emphatically plucked it out of the air towards goal. The ball took a slight deflection off Nodarse, but Vegas couldn't get to the ball bringing the game level, and giving Quinn his first goal of the 2024 season.

With a potential momentum change in Indy's direction, Indy proceeded to immediately concede a second goal. Some efficient passing through the Indy defense and then a ton of effort from J.J. Williams to toe-poke the ball beyond Sulte's reach immediately put the visitors back on top. To be honest, Rhode Island were the better of the two sides to that point, but Indy's regularly effective team defending was atrocious in that moment. Some fireworks in the closing seconds of the half as Indy nearly equalized going into the halftime locker, but for the first home playoff game for Indy in 5 years, the home squad found themselves staring at a deficient that they were going to need to overcome in the second half.

Post 58th Minute - Shots & Crosses

Minutes into the second half, Rhode Island made a run up the left side of the field where Kwizera put a ball into the box that J.J. Williams, again with more effort than what Indy could match, found the ball with his head, and Rhode Island gave themselves a two-goal cushion on Williams' third goal of the game. Coach McAuley quickly made changes to the lineup, bringing on White and Romario Williams for Soumaoro and Augi, respectively. Those two substitutes made an immediate impact on the game with a cross from White that Romario redirected into the Rhode Island goal. However, the goal was correctly disallowed as Williams never got back on side as the ball recycled. Indy adamantly protested but all that they received for their protestations was a Foster yellow card and a bump in their energy as they tried to channel their frustration with the call into a successful goal. With a 3-1 lead, Rhode Island was content to defend. After Foster's goal, the field was drastically tilted in Indy's direction. Eventually, the pressure resulted in a Martinez goal in the 76th minute when Quinn put a ball into the box where Martinez could get his head to the ball and redirect it passed Vegas.

Post 76th Minute - Shots & Crosses

After the goal to bring Indy back to within one, the difference in offensive attempts was even more stark. Indy were fighting for their playoff lives, while Rhode Island were looking to hold onto their lead, knowing they were getting closer and closer to a matchup with Louisville next weekend. The game ultimately went included 10-minutes of stoppage time before a Quinn shot that was well wide signaled the end of action. 

Rhode Island and Indy played three times on the season and ended the year with a 0 Goal Differential, with both teams scoring 6 goals apiece between the three games. The game looked exactly like a matchup between two teams that finished the season with the exact same number of points and were the 4/5 matchup in the playoff bracket. Surprisingly, it also looked like two teams that had a dozen-year rivalry instead of two teams that were meeting for just the third time as the game was chippy, nearly from the start.

With the win, Rhode Island continue their successful first season in the league, but get rewarded for that success by having to play next week in Louisville. Indy, however, have to watch the remainder of the season from their homes and try to figure out a way to come back next year and do something the men's side has never done before; make the playoffs in three consecutive years. When asked after the game how he wants to be able to take the "winning culture" he has tried to build this year with a top 4 finish and a run in the Open Cup, he responded:

"In football, if you stay the same, you're probably getting worse. So we need to improve next year and improve again and just keep improving. And that's where we have to make decisions on the players. ... But we'll fight and we'll scrap to keep this momentum and identity going that we want to be recognized for what we do. And what we do is never give in. We gotta make decisions about players. I've already got a picture in my mind what it looks like so that's going to be easy for me to make them decisions. What I will say, and recognize is the landscape of the USL has changed. Gone are the days where you just return 6 players and we'll see if we can put a squad of 15 together. If you look at everybody's roster now, everybody's deep with probably 20 to 25 players, at least, who all play. So we gotta recognize the fact that there will be some squad building...I can see us making decisions on players but also keeping quite a few back because we've had, like we've said, a really successful season."

Soon, I'll provide my end-of-year recap and 2025 outlook to discuss my thoughts on who might be returning. 

I don't know how many other people saw it, but when the BYB set off their first round of smoke bombs just before the kickoff, it started a, relatively, small fire of one of the banners. If you're looking for bad omens before a playoff game, that might have been one. While we're talking about it. Why the hell doesn't the BYB have a fire extinguisher nearby instead of trying to put out the fire with water bottles? 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

As I stood near the sideline in second half stoppage time waiting for access to the post-game press conference, the ball came into the Rhode Island offensive corner and Quinn made a run over to the corner to defend. His body and face said that he was nearly gassed, but he knew he had to make the play and dug deep to get to the ball. He seemed to be the catalyst for all the offense going forward at the end of the game, distributing the ball from left to right and back again. All that was after he had Indy's first goal and then the assist on the second goal. Quinn has been a true professional this season as he continued to deal with he ongoing injury rehab from last season's injury. For his quality and effort tonight, Quinn gets the final GBGB of the season.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Detroit City FC - 03.12 (Playoffs)

Summary

- Opponent: Detroit City FC
- Location: Keyworth Stadium (Detroit FC hosting)
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 3 - 1 L

- Starting XI: Phillips, Soderstrom, S., Cherry, Bahr, Snyder, Unkraut, Mitchell, Rogers (C), Chester, Soderstrom, K., Whitsett

- Substitution: Sexton 45' (Soderstrom, S.); Chatterton 45' (Snyder); Darey 63' (Unkraut); Katembo 71' (Whitsett); Jacomen 80' (Soderstrom, K.)

- Unused: Blair, Tobin

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Whitsett 7' (assist Unkraut)
DET - Pagett 20' (unassisted)
DET - Romine 45'+1' (assist Offer)
DET - Addison 75' (unassisted)

- Bookings: 
DET - Childers 58' (Yellow)

- Referee: - 

- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

Much like Minnesota Aurora, Detroit City came into the playoffs as the dominant team in their division. Minnesota was 7 points clear of River Light in the Heartland division, while DCFC was 9 points clear of Kalamazoo in the Great Lakes division (keep in mind those two divisions play 2 more games than Indy in the Valley division). Much like last year, Indy had to go through Minnesota and the team hosting the Central Conference playoffs (Flint City last year, Detroit this year), which means that Indy was the road team in a non-neutral site. It didn't matter last year, but it mattered this year as Detroit defeated Indy by a 3-1score to advance to the W League semifinals this coming weekend.

In the opening minutes, both teams looked to get the early advantage. Detroit wanted to possess the ball and play out of the back, while Indy were trying to attack with pace by pressing the Detroit defenders. That press paid off within the first 10 minutes when Unkraut picked the pocket of a Detroit defender before getting a ball to Whitsett. Whitsett proceeded to turn her defender, made a few steps towards the center of the field, and then unleashed a shot to the far right corner that was beyond the reach of Schriver to give Indy the early lead.

The lead would be short-lived though as a clearance from Indy didn't clear the lines and Emily Pagett put her laces through a screamer that was impossible for Phillips to reach. The goal brought the game back to level, but also seemed to settle the DCFC players as they found some good opportunities going forward after their goal, including a 25th minute attempt that had the Indy defenders struggling to keep track of the DCFC attackers.

Both teams seemed to struggle with their final touches in the offensive third. DCFC's struggles were related to effective defending from Indy and just having some errant passes. Indy's struggles seemed to be related to their inability to judge the speed of the turf, regularly putting touches just out of reach of their teammates. The heat of a 1:00 start time, and their inexperience on the Keyworth Stadium field likely played into those passes.

Those forays into the DCFC defensive third that went unrewarded were punished just into stoppage time when a counterattack led to a goal by Romine. Romine had sprayed the ball wide and a lunging Susie Soderstrom was unable to intercept the ball. Before she could recover defensively, Offer put a ball through the middle of the box that found an open and on-rushing Romine, who one-timed it through a tight window of Indy defenders and Phillips, who might have been pushed off her line by a DCFC defender. It was DCFC's best worked run-of-play and they were rewarded with the lead going into halftime. Despite not having many shots on target, they were effective with those shots. 

A 1-1 draw at halftime would have felt like a fair result, but DCFC had one more moment of brilliance than Indy forcing interim coach Kim to make an immediate substitution after the break, bringing on Chatterton and Sexton in place of Snyder and Soderstrom, S., respectively. Kim was looking to get Sexton's and Chatterton's pace and overlapping runs to put further pressure on the Detroit defense now that Indy was truly chasing the game. Indy put a ton of pressure on the DCFC defense in the opening minutes, but were struggling to get the final touch and shot.

 

Every missed opportunity to get the equalizer and make DCFC nervous went for naught, and an eventual poor clearance from Phillips resulted in a third, game-winning goal by Addison. Indy continued to pepper the DCFC defense, but were unable to break through and Indy watched the home side celebrate their advancement into the league's semifinal game. 

I'm not sure that I would say the better team won today, but the team that made the most of their chances won today. Indy probably had three mistakes on defense all day, and each one of those mistakes resulted in a goal for DCFC, while Indy's attack just couldn't find their rhythm once they got into the DCFC defensive third, and left a number of goals on the table. 

It's nearly impossible to repeat as champions, but that doesn't mean Indy isn't a championship team. This was an enjoyable team to watch, and it will be an enjoyable team to watch next year. There are players on this roster that deserve to find spots on NWSL and USL Super League teams, and it's just a matter of time before we see them on those professional teams. 

When it gets to playoff time, every mistake is magnified, every team is good, and as the defending champions, you're going to get every team's best effort. It wasn't the result the Indy team wanted, but they can be proud of their effort. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

She transferred from Xavier to play her senior season as Arkansas, but Ella Rogers is going to be one of those players that gets a look from multiple professional teams. Her work rate is unmatched, her skill is high level, & she showed this year that she is capable to scoring if that's the role given to her. At some point, she won't be in an Indy Eleven jersey (unless Indy's Super League team signs her...), but there is no doubt in my mind that she will be playing professionally somewhere after graduation. For her effort today, and for what she has meant to this club, Rogers gets the season's final GBGB.

Indy Eleven vs Minnesota Aurora FC - 03.11 (Playoffs)

Summary

- Opponent: Minnesota Aurora FC
- Location: Keyworth Stadium (Detroit FC hosting)
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 2 - 1 W

- Starting XI: Phillips, Sexton, Cherry, Bahr, Chatterton, Darey, Mitchell, Rogers (C), Chester, Soderstrom, K., Whitsett

- Substitution: Soderstrom, S. 72' (Whitsett); Jacomen 72' (Sexton); Snyder 89' (Soderstrom, K.)

- Unused: Blair, Katembo, Snyder, Tobin, Unkraut

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Cherry 4' (assist Bahr)
MINN - Duong 66' (unassisted)
IND - Mitchell 83' (assist Chester)

- Bookings: 
MINN - Rapp 74' (Yellow)

- Referee: - 

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Death. Taxes. Indy Eleven vs Minnesota Aurora in the playoffs. 

For the third time in the three year history of the USL W League, Indy Eleven and Minnesota found themselves facing each other with the chance to advance in the playoffs. Indy had to travel to Minnesota in 2022, where 6,200 fans watched the two undefeated teams play to a 2-1 score thanks to a 64th minute game-winning penalty kick by Minnesota. In 2023, the two teams traveled to host city Flint, where both had to get past conference semifinal opponents (Chicago City SC for Minnesota, Flint City AFC for Indy) to face each other in the conference final. Indy were the victors thanks to a 67th minute goal from Sam Dewey. Minnesota rode their victory in 2022 to the league final game before losing to South Georgia Tormenta 2-1 after extra time. Minnesota have yet to lose a regular season game in three seasons, but have been unable to reach the ultimate prize. However, after winning the conference final in 2023, Indy went on to beat North Carolina U23 2-1 after extra time in the league final. 

It's not a long league history, but as the league has continued to grow (44 teams in 2022 inaugural season to 80 teams this year), only Indy Eleven, Minnesota Aurora, and Long Island Rough Riders have made the playoffs each year. This year, the teams traveled to host city Detroit, but still found themselves facing off with each other again. The winner of the Indy Eleven vs Minnesota Aurora game has finished their season in the league final. That's good news for Indy Eleven who came out the victors today with a 2-1 win.

Indy had a perfect start to the game with an early corner kick. Bahr continued to show her class with her delivery into the box, and Cherry outjumped her defender to get her head to the ball putting it out of the the reach of Kane and an Aurora defender. Three minutes into the game, and Indy had the lead. Indy continued to dominate the first few minutes, but not surprisingly, Minnesota began to work their way into the game. They found some opportunities to go forward, but the Indy defenders were always in good position to stifle the attack. As Minnesota worked their way into the game, it was predominantly through the effort of Saige Wimes, who was forcing the Indy defenders to make decisions, including a 31st minute scramble in the box that nearly allowed Aurora to equalize.

Both teams' defensive pressure forced a lot of long passes as the players had very little time to do much with it other than try to get out of trouble and away from their feet. Any time any player held onto the ball for very long, there was at least one defender clipping at their heels. The moments where players could find pockets of time and space generally led to good chances for both teams. 

By my count, the shots and shots on target were essentially even, but you could argue that Indy's chances were marginally better than the ones from Minnesota. You could also argue that Minnesota's chances weren't any better because of effective last-ditch defending by Indy. Indy went into the break with the lead due to their quick start, but it would have been easy to say that a halftime draw would have been equally fair and reasonable. As it was, Indy had to defend their lead and Minnesota were going to come out of the halftime break knowing that their season was dependent on getting at least 2 goals. 

The early minutes of the 2nd half were frenetic as both teams tried to impose their way will onto the game. Neither were immediately effective as the ball pinged around from team to team. Indy nearly had a second goal when Soderstrom put a ball through the box that found a wide open Rogers. She clearly didn't realize how much time she had available and scuffed the ball wide from a poor left-footed touch. The missed shot seemed to empower Minnesota, who began to pin Indy back into their defensive half. That pressure eventually led to a free kick from a dangerous spot that was put directly into the goal from Duong on the kick. 

An 82nd goal from Mitchell looked like it might have solidified Indy's ability to advance, but just minutes later, Rapp put Bahr into a bad position and was awarded a penalty kick in the 86th minute. Weichers stepped up to take the ensuing penalty kick and went to her right. Fortunately for Indy fans, Phillips went that direction and caught the ball with her leg to keep the ball out of goal and maintain Indy's lead. The remaining minutes of the game were Indy defending and Minnesota throwing everything forward.

Indy held on to advance after beating Minnesota in back-to-back years. Despite Minnesota's regular season successes, they're going to be tired of seeing Indy who have come out on top the past two years after getting the better of Indy in the inaugural season. Indy will await the winner of the second game of the night when Detroit City takes on River Light FC.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

In all fairness to the goals from Cherry and Mitchell, the late-game heroics from Phillips to maintain the victory on a penalty kick gives Phillips tonight's GBGB. She went the right direction and despite nearly overshooting the ball, managed to get her leg to it to keep the game in Indy's favor. The game could have gone to extra time if it had not been for the save.

Chester's dummy that put her defender in a blender and completely out of position that led to the game-winning goal gets an honorable mention for moment of the game. Ninety minutes of game action and the two most notable moments in the game for me happened within minutes of each other and within minutes of the game's conclusion.

Indy Eleven vs Charleston Battery - 10.35 (Playoffs)

Summary

- Opponent: Charleston Battery
- Location: Patriots Point
- Attendance: 2,972
- Final Score: 5-0 L

- Starting XI: Trilk, Boudadi, Jerome, Diz Pe, Dambrot, Lindley, Robledo, King, Velasquez, Martinez, Guenzatti (C)

- Substitution: Molina 64' (Robledo); Pinho 64' (Velasquez); Vazquez 64' (Dambrot)

- Unused: Oettl, Chapman-Page, Reveno 

- Scoring Summary:
CHS – Ycaza 12’ (assist Rodriguez)
CHS - Williams 37' (assist Markanich)
CHS - Rodriguez 40' (Barajas)
CHS - Barajas 47' (Rodriguez)
CHS - Markanich 63' (Williams)

- Bookings:

CHS - Williams 16’ (Yellow)
IND - Boudadi 57' (Yellow)
IND - Vazquez 72' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 76' (Yellow)
IND - Lindley 83' (Yellow)
CHS - Ycaza 90' (Yellow)

- Referee: Jeremy Scheer

- Adage goals: Two

Thoughts and Opinions

When this game started, I was walking around the National Mall in Washington D.C. with the family, but let my phone continue to keep me notified of what was going on in the game. I continued on with my vacation knowing that there wasn't going to be a home match in the second week of the playoffs after all the other high seeds in the Eastern Conference lost on Saturday. Despite knowing the result of the game,  I went ahead and actually watched the game now that I'm back, because, apparently, I'm a glutton for punishment after watching Purdue (football) lose to Nebraska on one screen and Purdue (men's basketball) lose to Arkansas in a scrimmage for charity in overtime to Arkansas. 

Before I watched the game, with full knowledge of the final score, I thought about what I might see. I wondered how Indy, one of the stingiest defenses in the entire league, could concede five goals in a playoff game. Indy hadn't conceded more than 3 in a game this season, even during the rough up-and-down stretch through the majority of the middle of the season. What I saw ran the gamut of issues.

1. Charleston's first goal was a set piece corner kick.
2. The second goal happened when Diz Pe was dispossessed 30 to 40-yards from goal, which led to a shot from outside the box that Trilk let bounce off his hands into the bottom right of the goal. Trilk nearly allowed a similar goal earlier in the game, but Diz cleared the ball off the line while being fouled.
3. Just a few minutes later, 5 Indy defenders tracked 3 CHS attackers, but leaving the 4th attacker wide open in the middle of the box for an open header past Trilk. 
4. Immediately after halftime, on a recycled corner kick, Charleston out-hustled the Indy defenders for yet another middle of the box shot through 5 Indy defenders that parted like the Red Sea.
5. Finally, a cross past Diz went mere feet past Trilk across the goal mouth to an on-rushing Ycaza who beat Boudadi to the ball. 

Indy couldn't defend. When Indy had the ball, CHS defended in numbers and defended quickly, rarely giving Indy time nor space to effectively accomplish much. Indy couldn't attack. Indy managed just a single shot on target, a shot from Macca King that went straight to Muse. A shot that happened from just outside the box in the 19th minute. Not a single shot on target the rest of the game. Not even a 66th minute breakaway where Martinez seemed to be ahead of everybody, but Segbers overtook Martinez and prevented a shot. 

As good as Indy looked the week before during large stretches in San Antonio, they looked just as badly during large stretches in Charleston. When Indy lost Quinn with 6 games to go in the season, Indy took a few games to settle into not having him available. Indy went into this game without Asante due to his red card suspension in the San Antonio game, and Blake who had an ankle injury. As a result, Indy started both King and Robledo. Robledo had only started a dozen games before this one and had only played a total of 48 minutes in the past three games combined. Similarly, King had also only played just 48 minutes in a substitute role in the past two games combined after having not played for the preceding ten games. I appreciate Macca, but the midfield looked completely different than it has when Indy has looked its best. 

Indy struggled this year, with injuries and suspensions derailing any momentum that they managed to get going. It's probably fitting that two more (one injury and one suspension) factored into their performance against Charleston. As promising as this season looked coming into it, and as good as the team looked at times throughout the season, it's a bit disheartening to think that the team has such an issue with depth that just one or two players can have Indy go from looking like they did in the first half against San Antonio to a team that gets clobbered by 5-nil in the first weekend of the playoffs. It's something I'll likely discuss in my end-of-season recap, but not here.

 

As I thought about the game during my vacation, my pessimistic nature (and being a long-time Cubs fan) kicked in and Indy fans should have known that things wouldn't go well for the men's 1st team. The club isn't at a point where fans should realistically think that it's possible for the club to win an USL W League championship and win (or even make a run in) the USL Championship in the same season. We're just not there as a club where that seems feasible. Maybe some day.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I don't really want to finish the season without awarding the Game Beckons Game Ball, but does any player really deserve it when the team gets beaten by 5 goals and only manages one shot on target in 90 minutes of action? After arguing with myself that there had to be at least one good performance by one of the players, I just couldn't rationalize it in that kind of loss in that kind of game.

Indy Eleven vs Flint City AFC - 02.11 (Playoffs)

Summary

- Opponent: Flint City AFC
- Location: Atwood Stadium
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 3-0 W

- Starting XI: Reason, Kugler, Creel, Bahr, Sexton, Kraszula, Rogers (C), Dewey, S., Soderstrom, K., Chester, Williams

- Substitution: Chatterton 60' (Sexton), Soderstrom, S. 60' (Dewey, S.), Williams 66' (Whitsett), Wilson 74' (Chester); Johnson 74' (Soderstrom, S.); Ojongboh 74' (Creel)

- Unused: Edwards

- Scoring Summary:
IND – Bahr 14’ (Penalty Kick)
IND - Dewey, S. 42' (assist Williams)
IND - Soderstrom, K. 49' (assist Kugler)

- Bookings:

IND - Creel 45'+2’ (Yellow)
IND - Kugler 79' (Yellow)

- Referee: Audra Fullen

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Coming into this game, I wondered if Flint City's turnaround from last season's last place finish in the Great Lakes division to this year's first place in the division, had anything to do with the fact that they didn't have to face Indy Eleven and Racing Louisville twice each. While Indy's and Louisville's departure did save Flint from a potential four losses, Flint City's record outside of those two teams was still a poor 2W-1D-5L. So, not being with Indy and Louisville helped some, they did substantially improve even against the other teams that remained from last season's division.

A penalty kick in the 14th minute after Creel was deemed to have been pulled down in the box on a corner kick started the scoring for the game. Defender and former player/coach Bahr calmly stepped and put the ball to the left while Riddle started to the right before freezing in her tracks to watch the ball go past her. Again, how talented and deep is this team when you have Williams, Dewey, and Soderstrom on the field and it's a defender that steps up to take the penalty kick?

Flint City did a good job in the first half of holding possession, but not in a ton of dangerous locations, or in ways that gave them solid chances at goal. It was Indy who was able to utilize their possession to get looks at the goal. Late in the half, Indy had a flurry of activity in Flint City's goal that eventually found its way to the backheel of Dewey, who put Indy up by two heading into the locker room.

Coming back out of the locker room, Indy found a run up the right side of the field from Kugler that Flint City couldn't stop. Kugler put a ball towards the six-yard box that Soderstrom, K. redirected towards the near post and past Riddle. Just like that, three minutes into the second half, and Indy had a three goal lead. Then it was just a matter of doing what they could to see the game out, keep a clean sheet, and keep everybody healthy.

Best I could tell, everybody finished healthy. Dewey, Soderstrom, and Williams were all able to get out of the game at a reasonable time to keep their legs fresh, while also giving some minutes to others, which will be important come Saturday afternoon. Indy went to Flint with one goal in mind, and that was to make it to the Central Conference final where they can give themselves a chance to exact revenge on the team that beat them last year. Helping Indy's cause this year will be that the game will be at a neutral site, and Minnesota won't be able to pack the stadium like they did last year. At least not as easily. If you're able to make it to Flint this weekend, go support the team and counteract any visiting Minnesota fans. Winning tonight was not Indy's ultimate goal, but they had to win tonight to give themselves a chance to win on Saturday and they did that. 

Indy will recover tomorrow, and get ready to face Minnesota at 3:00 on Saturday.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I keep repeating it with this team, but I could literally give the GBGB to nearly every player on the field. So it keeps coming down to which player do I keep noticing that they have done something well. To that point, tonight's GBGB goes to Kraszula. Flint City put a lot of pressure on Indy's midfielders, and Rogers and Kraszula were really up to the task. There's a reason Rogers is the captain and nearly plays every minute, but there seemed to be a number of moments where Kraszula had to make key interventions and she did so. Flint City's defenders were also not gentle with their press, and so she took a bit of a beating trying to maintain possession for Indy. Kraszula gets tonight's GBGB for her effort against a rough Flint City midfield.

Indy Eleven vs Minnesota Aurora - 01.13 (Playoffs)

Summary

- Opponent: Minnesota Aurora FC
- Location: TCO Stadium

- Attendance: 6,200
- Final Score: 2-1 L

- Starting XI: Wood, Chatterton, Bahr, McCarthy (Ro) (C), Smith, Rogers, McLaughlin, Cherry, Chester, Soderstrom, Williams

- Substitution: Leonard 45' (McLaughlin); Johnson 70' (Chester); Bulatovic 73' (Smith); Sochacki 82' (Leonard)

- Unused: Beard, Gajdobranski, Isger, Ware, Lindley (AND if I go by the USL W Match Center... Foulk, Lynch, Dean, MacNab, Marin, Barnett, Kraszula, Dewey, Phillips, Reason, Koger, McMahon, Soderstrom (Susan), and McCarthy (Ra)... the league is nothing if not consistent in their randomness of how things are documented...)

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Rogers 34' (assist Cherry)
MN - Turner 50' (assist Rapp)
MN - Inokawa 68' (Penalty Kick)

- Bookings:
IND - Cherry 69' (Yellow)
MN - Bennett 73', 90' +2' (Yellow/Yellow - RED)
IND - Chatterton 79' (Yellow)

- Referee: ??
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

I had hoped that I wouldn't have to write one of these; a post-game assessment of a loss by the women's team. It took all the way to unlucky game number 13 to do it, but the women were finally on the wrong end of a final scoreboard, losing 2-1 on the road to an undefeated Minnesota Aurora FC team. It's a shame that two of the three undefeated teams in the league played each other in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, but given the nature of the league, travel has to be limited. Yet, as a biased spectator, Indy didn't deserve to have their season finish on the road in the first game of the playoffs after going undefeated in the regular season.

Further, as a biased spectator, Indy was the better team tonight. The 6,200 fans in attendance may dispute me, but Indy dominated the first half. Indy was the better team, it was just that the team didn't get some of their normally electric effort to pay off. 

We saw it one other time this year with Soderstrom. She and Maddy Williams are human. They can miss penalty kicks. I don't know her that well, but I think Williams will tell you that she should have done better on her penalty kick attempt in the 25th minute. Maybe. But when the goalkeeper has already taken a good-sized step in the right direction before Maddy ever kicks the ball, the odds start to move more towards the keeper. Yet, even after the miss, it still felt like Indy's game. Rogers' goal in the 34th minute was the goal that Indy had been working toward all half. These were two high scoring teams and Minnesota wasn't going to go down easily, so Indy lone goal at that point didn't feel like it would be enough, nor that it would be their last. 

The second half just didn't go the way it was planned. An early goal after halftime. Then the slowest penalty kick in the history of soccer snuck by Wood's outstretched arms. After that, Minnesota just had to keep everything in front of them, blast the ball back across the halfway line when all else failed, and fall down at the slightest of touches. The refereeing reminded me of the difference between the refereeing in the Big Ten basketball season versus the refereeing in the other league's around the country. The physicality that was allowed in the Great Lakes Division was apparently more than what was allowed in the Heartland Division, and Indy doubled their season total of yellow cards in a single game, as Cherry and Chatterton picked up cards late in the half.

I don't know how to end this, and I hope to have some future women's team content soon. This is my ninth season writing recaps and opinions about Indy Eleven. I can honestly say that I have started to wonder whether I wanted to do it any longer. However, having the chance to write about this group of women has rekindled that desire to write. This is a special group that Coach Dolinsky put together and they deserved to go out with at least one more game in front of their home fans. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way, but I can't wait to support the next iteration of this team next year.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Not today. No single player is getting the GBGB. I want it to go to the entire team for this game. The entire team deserves it for the game and for the season that provided Indy fans. Thanks!

Indy Eleven vs Louisville City FC - 06.37 - USL Playoffs (Conference Final)

- Opponent: Louisville City FC
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 7,171
- Final Score: 1-3 L
- Starting XI: Farr, Hackshaw, Barrett (C), Ouimette, Gibson, Walker, Conner, Ayoze, King, Pasher, Kelly
- Substitutions: Watson 68' (Conner), Novoa 83' (Kelly); Starikov 98' (Walker); Ilic 98' (King)
- Unused: Brown, Osmond, Perea
- Goals: Pasher 67' (assist Kelly)
- Bookings: Barrett 45'+1' (Yellow); Ouimette 90'+2' (Yellow); Hackshaw 102' (Yellow); Watson 119' (Yellow)
- Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
- Adage goals: Two

I said it in my review of the semi-final game against Nashville. If you want to be the King, you have to beat the King. Until somebody proves otherwise, Louisville City is the King of the Eastern Conference. Five straight Eastern Conference finals and now three straight league finals. They are now in a stretch of not having lost a playoff game in 3 years. Yet...

Indy was close to taking down the King. The bubble popped 3 minutes and 4 seconds into a questionably allotted 4-minute stoppage time when LCFC's Hoppenot took a first-time rip at the ball off of a corner kick that took some nice turf bounces over the head of a falling Barrett and under the right arm of Farr who had been going to his left. It's the kind of cruel goal that changes momentum.

It's the kind of goal that keeps the King on his throne and the rest of the conference wondering what it's going to take to remove him from it.

With momentum fully shifted to LCFC after an early goal in extra time by Rasumussen, Indy was forced to throw attackers into the game as Starikov and Ilic were brought into the game in place of Kelly and King. When Spencer scored an insurance goal from the spot in the 113th minute, all that was really left was for the clock to wind down. The King doesn't give up a two-goal lead that late in the game, even playing on the road.

The moderate upside for Indy is that for long stretches of the game, they looked like the better team. Possession may be 9/10th of the law, but neither team seemed to be able to have it for any extended duration. Louisville was shown to have the final possession edge at a nearly 60/40 ratio, but Indy seemed to do more with their possession than did LCFC. They had more shots and shots on target. Jordan Farr wasn't credited with a single save for the game as LCFC had 3 shots on target and had 3 goals.

Indy had chances that they missed, including one from Watson in the 89th minute that just crept over the bar and landed in the top netting. Twelve inches lower and Indy would have been celebrating at the end of the game instead of LCFC.

My only objections to Indy's game was, possibly, the substitutions and when those occurred and for whom. Yet even those fell in line with the way that Coach Rennie has been utilizing substitutes at the end of the season. However, within a minute of Pasher scoring the opening goal of the game in the 67th minute, Coach Rennie pulled Conner for Watson, which had the feeling of an offense for defense substitution. It seemed a bit premature to me to begin the Rennie Bunker (TM) at that point in the game. Twenty-two minutes is a long time to defend against a team like LCFC in a win-or-go-home scenario, even for this team.

I also question the Novoa for Kelly sub in the 83rd minute. Though, again, the time and substitution was in line with recent patterns. I just felt that the things that Kelly was doing well for the team at the time could not be achieved by Novoa and it also pushed Pasher further back into the Bunker. Novoa does not have Kelly's size to be able to stay up top and bring a ball down with defenders on his back. He can run around like a madman trying to disrupt LCFC's defenders, but I didn't think that was what would have helped ride out the remaining minutes of the game.

When it comes to playoff soccer, it's not always the better team that wins. Sometimes, it's not even the better team on the day that wins. It's the team that makes good on their chances and for this game, that was Louisville City.

It does disappoint me that the Eleven spent all season creating a home field advantage in Lucas Oil Stadium only to see that advantage go out the roof because the stadium had already been reserved for other users. Notably one that I believe wasn't even using the facility for the NYRBII game, but has a clause that limits users to a certain duration ahead of their use. Carroll creates a great atmosphere particularly with so many traveling fans, but the weather and the turf affected the game and took away some of that home field advantage. Whether anybody in the team will publicly admit it, playing at Carroll Stadium was not an advantage. There's my little plug for an increased desire for Eleven Park because Indy could find themselves in this exact same situation every year until they have their own stadium.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Ouimette gets the Game Beckons Game Ball in the loss. It's like losing twice for him...

Photos:

Indy Eleven vs Nashville SC - 06.36 - USL Playoffs (Conference Semifinals)

- Opponent: Nashville SC
- Location: Nashville
- Attendance: 4,145
- Final Score: 1-0 W
- Starting XI: Farr, Hackshaw, Barrett (C), Ouimette, Gibson, Walker, Conner, Ayoze, King, Pasher, Kelly
- Substitutions: Novoa 70' (Kelly), Watson 86' (Pasher)
- Unused: Brown, Osmond, Perea, Starikov, Ilic,
- Goals: Pasher 59' (assist Gibson)
- Bookings: Ayoze 22' (Yellow); Ouimette 24' (Yellow)
- Referee: Elton García
- Adage goals: None

Through the first week of the USL Championship Playoffs, the Western Conference was a veritable roller coaster ride full of lower seeds upending the higher seeds, including 8th seed Austin Bold taking Phoenix Rising to penalty kicks just days after having to play in the Play-In Round. The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, proceeded mostly according to script with all 4 of the top seeds advancing past their conference quarterfinal matches.

Week 2 of the Playoffs began the same way as Week 1 with Real Monarchs finishing the job that Austin Bold was nearly able to do the week before and send Phoenix Rising, the odds-on favorite to win it all before the playoffs, exiting the tournament without even making it to the conference final. With the other Western Conference results, by the time the #3 Indianapolis - #2 Nashville and #1 Pittsburgh - #4 Louisville games started, everybody knew that the final was going to go through one of the Eastern Conference cities yet again.

 As Austin Bold can attest, keeping a clean sheet in the playoffs doesn't guarantee success when it can be undone by penalty kicks. However, playoffs are often the time when defensive efforts are rewarded and the Indianapolis vs Nashville game matched the top two defenses in the league. It was the kind of game where the expectation was that a single goal could be enough to be the winner.

In the early part of the game, all signs pointed to Indy being the winner who held the early advantage in shots, possession, and corners. Action evened out a bit just past the 20th minute when a kerfuffle arose after a hard Ayoze challenge and Nashville increased their intensity. Ayoze's challenge and the resulting pushing and shoving provided the game with 3 of its 5 total yellow cards, as Ayoze and Ouimette received cards, as well as Nashville's Washington. After that, both teams settled in and finished the half with 50/50 possession, but Indy had more shots on target than Nashville.

Jordan Farr, continuing his excellent play in replacement of Evan Newton, was forced to make one of this 3 saves early in the second half. As the game progressed and the defensive strengths continued for both teams, a moment of brilliance looked like it might be the deciding factor. Then in the 59th minute, Tyler happened.

"'A thing of beauty is a joy forever.'
My man John Keat's said that."

Tyler X 2 to be more exact.

Tyler Gibson, the team's iron man in starts and minutes this year, picked up the ball near midfield, picked his head up, and spotted Tyler Pasher about to make a Tyler Pasher run. Gibson put an absolutely perfect ball over the top that would land just inside the 18-yard box where Nashville's Pickens couldn't come out to get it, but where Pasher could run onto it. Pasher one-touched the ball with the outside of his left foot past a stranded Pickens and just inside the left goal post. It's the kind of shot that Indy fans have seen numerous times this year just dribble agonizingly on the wrong side of the post, but it squeaked in for Pasher's 5th game winner this season.

Indy continued to play within their game tactics, but the 70th minute substitution of Novoa for Kelly indicated that things were getting adjusted for the visitors. Novoa was left up top to chase down real estate clearances and Pasher (and then his 86th minute substitute Watson) dropped further and further back to help defend and solidify the Rennie Bunker (TM). By the time the game ended, Indy fans knew that the other side of the Eastern Conference bracket was already filled by Louisville City FC. It took until the conference semi-final games, but the lower seeds both prevailed, providing Indy and Louisville fans with a #LIPAC with some conference hardware on the line.

Indy return to #TheMike on Saturday November 9th with a 3:00 in the afternoon start time to continue this I-65 rivalry. LCFC are the back-to-back reigning champions and haven't lost a playoff match in 3 years. To be the King, you have to defeat the King. Until somebody does that to LCFC in the playoffs, they are still the team to beat in the east. Indy will look to use the good run of form and their home crowd to do just that; be the new King.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I'm not sure that I've given him enough credit this year for all that he does, but I can remedy that by giving Tyler Gibson this game's Game Beckons Game Ball. He:

• Leads the team in minutes played (3,234; more than 500 minutes more than any other player)
• Leads the team in Starts (36) and Games Played (36), which is the only field player in Indy's history to do so.
• Leads the team in Passing Accuracy (87.8%), 
• Leads the team in Long Pass Accuracy (63.1% - not counting Starikov who has only attempted 5), 
• Is 2nd in Passes per 90 mins (59.1), 
• Is tied for first in Passing Accuracy in the Opponent's Half (83.7%), 
• 2nd in Passing Accuracy in Own Half (91.4%), 
• Leads the team in Interceptions (42), and 
• Is even 2nd in fouls won.

He's been the right guy to do what Coach Rennie needed him to do and he's doing it consistently and at a high level. Indy have utilized the ball over the top effectively all year, but Gibson's play versus Nashville highlights his ability and Tyler Pasher rewarded him for that ability.