Indy Eleven vs - San Francisco Glens 02.13 (Playoff)

Summary

- Opponent: San Francisco Glens
- Location: Grand Park
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 3-2 W

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

- Substitution: Whitsett 72’ (Dewey); Sexton 80’ (Chatterton);Kugler for 80’ (Kraszula); Soderstrom, S. 90’+2’ (Williams)

- Unused: Edwards, Johnson, Ojongmboh

- Scoring Summary:
IND – Chester 14’ (unassisted)
SFG – Gomes 40’ (unassisted)
IND – Williams 50’ (assist Dewey)
SFG – Penn 64’ (assist Gomes)
IND – Martin 90’+1’ (assist Whitsett)

- Bookings:

SFG – Immethun 60’ (Yellow)

IND – Chester 87’ (Yellow)

- Referee: --

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

The last time Indy Eleven hosted a playoff game was in November 2019 when Indy hosted Louisville City, and He Who Must Not Be Named, put the dagger in Indy fans’ hearts with a goal that salvaged Louisville’s day and pushed the game into extra time where Indy eventually lost. The last time the club played a team from San Francisco, Indy lost 2-1 in October 2017. Indy fans came into this USL W-League semifinal game against San Francisco Glens hoping that the Indy Eleven women fared better than their male counterparts. In Indy’s brief history in the USL W-League, success has been plentiful, but this was Indy’s first chance to host a playoff game. There was optimism that this wouldn’t be the last playoff game for Indy to host THIS season. 

The starting lineup for Indy remained much the same as it did for the games against Flint City and Minnesota with the exception that Chatterton and Martin found their way into the starting lineup to bring a high level of experience to the start of the game against an unknown foe. With some scouting and Dolinsky’s knowledge of the west coast due to his time there, San Francisco was kind of an unknown quantity. Having as much experience on the field to start was key, and this lineup was full of experienced players. 

The early minutes of the game had a frenetic clip as both teams tried to put their own stamp on the complexion of the game with the BYB in full voice. San Francisco showed early pace, getting behind Creel a few times early. Notably in the early stages of the game, Chester played up top with Williams, while Soderstrom held back in a more midfielder role. It didn’t take long to figure out the reason for Dolinsky’s tactical adjustment as San Francisco’s Nadia Gomes is fast. I’m certain that it was her pace that prompted the need for Soderstrom to hang further back to help Creel cover Gomes. The team’s talent, and particularly Soderstrom’s in this case, is what allowed Coach Dolinsky to make that kind of tactical adjustment to be able to cover a player who has Gomes’ speed. 

Indy’s team defense, not just on Gomes, was a thing of beauty in this game as Soderstrom wasn’t the only one who was tracking back to help defend. As an attack for Indy progressed forward in attack, but on the opposite side of the field of Williams, Williams immediately fell back into a defensive role after the ball was turned over until her midfielders that had moved forward could track back. Chester did the same thing a number of times, as did Dewey who was a constant threat moving forward throughout the half. The midfield rocks of Kraszula and Rogers were constant thorns in the SFG midfielders’ sides as they covered so much ground that it was a good thing this game was in the conditioned air of the Grand Park Event Center than outside in the nearly 90-degree and muggy Indy weather.

Soderstrom’s deep lying position allowed her to pass from just short of midfield that sprung Williams up the right side of the field. Williams put the ball into the mixer, where Chester had a chance to get to it, but it was headed away from her but towards the middle of the box. Rogers then had a chance before it was blocked directly towards a waiting Chester. Chester didn’t miss on her attempt now that the ball finally reached her, which put Indy ahead in the 14th minute, somewhat against the early run-of-play. 

As the half reached its midpoint, Indy had settled into San Francisco’s pace and attempts for Indy began to become more frequent. Indy’s midfielders and forwards had the appearance of a group that knew a second goal before half might put this game away. A 1-nil lead is tenuous against a team with SFG’s speed up top, and Indy looked like they knew that the best was to counteract that speed was to have a healthy lead at halftime. Indy’s defense, for their part, kept SFG’s forwards at bay by stepping to every player that received the ball to limit the time SFG had to make decisions for the next pass.

Just before the halftime whistle though, SFG were awarded a free kick that Gomes managed to make it around the wall, through the mass of bodies, and beyond the outstretched arms of Reason who saw the ball late after it took a slight deflection on its way through. 

Just like that, the game was level again. 

Both teams kept their foot on the gas pedal until about the 44th minute when a pause in the BYB showed that everybody was needing the break. Soderstrom put a ball towards the goal late, but two of the best teams in the nation went into the halftime locker room with a 1-1 scoreline.

In the start of the second half, Gomes had moved to the right side of the field, directly against Chatterton. Clearly, the SFG coaching staff didn’t pay attention to the fact that Chatterton has the speed to keep up with Gomes. While I was busy typing about the SFG coaching decision to disrespect Chatterton’s speed, Indy found their second goal. In the 50th minute, Dewey split the defense perfectly, Williams timed her run perfectly, and put a cheeky ball around Banuelos that tucked just inside the post. Minutes into the second half and Indy had recaptured their lead, but with a lot of time remaining. Yet, that 2-1 lead once again gave Indy confidence that this game was theirs to win. After the goal, the questions became whether Indy could find a reassurance goal, how long Williams and Dewey would be able to go, and whether Gomes would be able to put SFG on her back and speed past the Indy defense to get SFG on the board again. While she didn’t score SFG’s second goal, it was her attack that put the ball to an on-rushing Penn, who put the ball over Reason and into the goal in the 64th minute. 

Just like that, the game was level again.

The game also became wide open as both teams tried to find the game winner with end-to-end action

I also became a fan first, and completely neglected my writing duties for the last 20 minutes of the game. 

Sorry. Not sorry.

With time winding down, the game had all the appearances of going to extra time. Both teams going all out in both directions, with promising attacks stifled by superb defense. Williams has an absolute knack for timing her runs to beat defenders, and can make an offside trap look silly. If it hadn’t been for SFG’s  Banuelos making great save after great save, this game likely wouldn’t have been so close, or needed Martin’s late-game heroics. 

As the referee’s  watch and the stadium clock turned past the 90-minute mark, extra time seemed to be a given. However, a defensive clearance from Kugler allowed her to put yet another ball up the field into a place where Williams could run onto it to try and do something with it. With Chester, Whitsett, and Martin at full sprint to get in a position to receive a cross, Indy found themselves with a numbers advantage. Williams put a ball toward the penalty spot that kept Banuelos on her line. Whitsett found her head to the cross, that bounced straight up in the air. Martin had raced past the SFG defenders and found herself in the perfect position to get her head to the ball as it came back down. She directed the ball over Banuelos and under the crossbar, and an already raucous Grand Park became deafening as the Indy Eleven fans erupted with joy in celebration. A couple minutes of trying to keep the ball away from SFG, and Indy had punched their ticket to the USL W-League Final next week against NC Courage, who won their game 4-1 against Eagle FC. 

After the game, it was said to me that about the only thing missing from this game was a pitch invasion. With the way the game played out, I couldn’t disagree with their assessment, but I’m so glad that it didn’t/couldn’t happen. Indy’s history with pitch invasions is memorable. The first one happened in 2014 when Indy finally got their first home win late into the season against Minnesota United. The next one happened in 2016, with the famous Miracle at the Mike after defeating the Carolina Railhawks by a score of 4-1. The thing that would have differentiated a pitch invasion tonight is attitude. The first pitch invasion was a cathartic release from the fans after a long season waiting to celebrate a home win. The second one has a “miracle” designation because so many things had to come together for Indy to win its first piece of hardware with the Spring Championship. 

Indy’s women’s team is close to being able to hoist a league trophy to go with their divisional trophies, but the difference here is that I’m not surprised this team is one win away from winning a league championship. A pitch invasion wouldn’t have seemed right. There was no catharsis. There was no miracle. This is a group of women who are well coached, but maybe more importantly, have the talent, the heart, the desire, and the fight to never give up. They play for each other. They cover for each other. The celebrate for each other. These women are winners, and I think they’re going to show that next week against yet another talented NC Courage team.

Next week’s match will be here in Indy, but will take place as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team. Personally, I would have liked to see the men get bumped to the afternoon heat, and let a LEAGUE FINAL be the nightcap, but I don’t get to choose these things. A ticket gets you into both games, and I heard rumors of bands being around between the games to fill the time. So get a ticket and support Indy Eleven as they attempt to secure a league title.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Martin is an obvious choice. Obviously. She had the game-winning goal in a 3-2 slugfest between two very good teams. One of Indy's starting defenders hustled down the field in the +90th minute to put herself into a position to get her head to a ball that she was able to direct over Banuelos, who had stifled many of Indy's previous attacks.

And yet...

My GBGB goes to Katie Soderstrom. I know. She didn't score. She didn't have any assists. Yet Indy's club leader in goals and points sacrificed her own personal potential stats to play a deeper midfielder role (you could argue a wing back role she was so deep at times) because that is what the team needed out of her in the tactical defending of San Francisco's offense. As Coach Dolinsky stated after the game, "We have our strengths as a team. Our strength, a lot of times, is taking away the other team's strengths and doing what we do individually in the attack. We could have scored 4 or 5 goals on the counterattack this evening, so it was well executed by the girls." A key part of that was Soderstrom and her ability to put the team goals ahead of her personal goals, which includes trying to make a professional team. For that level of effort and dedication, Soderstrom just edges out Martin for tonight's GBGB. 

Additional Photos (Don Thompson Photography)

Indy Eleven vs Charleston Battery - 10.18

Summary

- Opponent: Charleston Battery
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,059
- Final Score: 1-1 D

- Starting XI: Oettl, Boudadi, Dambrot, King, Diz Pe, Quinn, Blake, Lindley, Velasquez, Martinez, Guenzatti (C)

- Substitution: Asante 58' (Velasquez); Pinho 58' (Guenzatti); Molina 84' (Martinez); Rissi 90'+1' (Blake) 

- Unused: Trilk, Jerome, Robledo

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Quinn 61’ (Penalty Kick)
CHS - Trager 77' (assist Ycaza)

- Bookings:

CHS - Palma 38’ (Yellow)
IND - King 65' (Yellow)
IND - Dambrot 85', 89' (Yellow, Yellow, RED)

- Referee: Elton García

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

When these two teams met in early June, Indy headed back from South Carolina with three points in the bag, thanks to a 2’ converted penalty kick by Quinn, a 72nd-minute penalty kick goal by Quinn, a 75th-minute goal by Molina, and an 80th-minute own goal for good measure to make Charleston Battery’s night one to forget. Indy has won just once since that victory, a 2-nil win in Hartford. Indy had a 2W-2D-2L record counting the victory in South Carolina, keeping Indy in a playoff spot but not able to make any moves up the table. Tonight's draw pushes Indy down below Tulsa, hovering dangerously at the playoff line with tough games upcoming against the top of the table.

Starting with the first game against Charleston, Quinn has catapulted to be Indy’s leading scorer, bagging a brace twice in the 6-game span. All his goals have come from the spot, which has now moved him up to second place in club history for penalty kick goals, and just one behind Ayoze with tonight's goal. It’s good that Quinn is so effective from the spot, but Indy shouldn’t be relying on his ability to finish from 12-yards out. Indy has proven scorers on this roster (including Quinn who is now an assist away from joining the 50 goals/50 assists club in league history), but Indy need to find another way to score goals.

In an attempt to not leak an early goal, Indy was in a 5-3-2 formation early in the game as Charleston held the early possession, likely hoping they could prevent a repeat of the last game between the two teams by not letting Indy have the ball. Indy, true to form, nearly went down a goal early when an 8th minute shot rang off the crossbar after Barajas beat the offside press and found himself all alone. As the entire backline raised their arms and actually looked at the assistant referee on the right side of the field, Barajas had a clear attempt at the goal, but put it just 6-inches too high. I have grown tired of watching game after game of defenders raising their arm, and slowing down, thinking they have a better angle than the assistant referee who is looking down the line and seeing King keep Barajas onside. Raise your hand if you want, but don't slow down. That's how you nearly gave up another early goal.

My computer died at halftime so it was handwritten notes for the entire second half, and the first half ended with a nil-nil draw. Does it matter though? We've all seen this story play out in the same, but different ways, all season. Coach Lowry didn't come back out from the locker room to answer any questions. So we're going to finish this post in bullet format because tonight I'm kind of tired of writing the same article. I’m going to ask some questions in some of them. If you know the answers, let me know.

• 

  Martinez distribution

  The team scored a goal to give themselves a lead. Yay!
• From the spot... Shocking, right?
• The team gave up a lead. Another defender was lost to red card. Coach Lowry never came back out to talk to the press. 
• How many times did Martinez, Indy's fast midfielder/forward, receive a pass leading him towards goal only to pass backwards? Oh wait, I can answer that. See the image to the right (keeping in mind Indy was going left to right in this image). Answer... A LOT. That's a lot of going backwards for a player who is expected to go forward. 
• How many times did a quick counterattack come to a grinding halt once Martinez received the ball? Same answer.
• Why is Indy so hesitant to shoot the ball in the attacking third? 
• Individual mistakes costing Indy points. This time it was Boudadi and Oettl who weren't on the same page for a ball that EITHER OF THEM should have been able to get to before Trager. And yet, both of them watched him take the ball and easily score.
• I don't know how, but Indy managed to win the aerial duels battle, but lost the duels battle. My eyeball test said that those values should have been much more in favor of CHS.
• Congrats to Quinn for reaching the 20,000 minute mark in USL league history. 
• 
  Another defender, Dambrot, gets a yellow/yellow/red card and will have to sit out next game.
• From the league's Discipline Report - "Following a review by the Independent Discipline Panel, Indy Eleven's Adrian Diz Pe has been suspended for one game for violent conduct following an incident in the side's contest against FC Tulsa. Diz Pe will be unavailable for selection in Indy's contest against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on July 22."
• So that means more shuffling of the back line because Vazquez is also going to be out for the next month (or more) with his injury. So Jerome and Rissi, who seemingly everybody has lost confidence in recently will likely be back in the starting eleven. 
• I say "likely" because Lowry might decide to go 3-4-3 and just turn the game against Tampa into a high scoring affair. Throw everybody forward and see who can outscore the other. Defense first, the recent tactical adjustment hasn't been consistently achieving points, so maybe a shift forward instead of backwards will be considered. Who knows?

As I keep repeating because the team keeps repeating their mistakes, "you are what your record says you are." With the way Indy has continued to self-inflict problems on themselves, while also not being able to stay healthy, Indy is a bottom of the table team who are going to struggle to stay in the playoff picture, particularly given their upcoming opponents.

Indy get a week and a half off to think about what they've done, and to think about what they'll do, since the next game is the aforementioned game against Tampa Bay. Then they just have to play Tampa (home), Pittsburgh (away), and Louisville (away) in an 8 day span. The way things are going for the team right now, they'll be lucky to get a single point out of those 9 available points.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

You can call me lazy, but I don't feel like giving a GBGB tonight. The closest I have in me is to congratulate Quinn on reaching such a major minutes milestone.

Additional Photos (Don Thompson Photography)

Indy Eleven vs FC Tulsa - 10.17

Summary

- Opponent: FC Tulsa
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,153
- Final Score: 1-0 L

- Starting XI: Oettl, Boudadi, King, Diz Pe, Jerome, Quinn, Blake, Lindley, Martinez, Robledo, Guenzatti (C)

- Substitution: Asante 68' (Robledo); Pinho 68' (Lindley); Dambrot 68' (Boudadi); Velasquez 74' (Blake); Sanchez 75' (Jerome) 

- Unused: Trilk, Sanchez

- Scoring Summary:
TUL – Dyer 5’ (unassisted)

- Bookings:

TUL – Bonet 19’ (Yellow)

IND – King 35’ (Yellow)

TUL – McCabe 37’ (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 47' (Yellow)
IND - Quinn 83' (Yellow)
TUL - Bird 90' (Yellow)

- Referee: Benjamin Meyer

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Roughly two hours after watching the Indy Eleven women’s team win a conference championship against burgeoning rival Minnesota Aurora, the men’s team kicked off against FC Tulsa in a battle of teams near the playoff line. Tulsa brought with them former player/assistant coach Matt Watson, who is now an assistant with Tulsa. It was good to see his smiling face before the game. He was still smiling after the game, which is easier to do when you're headed back to Tulsa with 3 points in the suitcase.

Coach Lowry was forced to, once again, modify part of the starting lineup due to Rissi’s red card suspension last week. Jerome worked his way back into the starting lineup due to the suspension, and Robledo and Molina swapped starter/substitute roles for this game. Stefano Pinho made his first appearance off the bench, coming into the game in the 68th minute as Indy was behind and chasing the game. According to Coach Lowry, "Vazquez was meant to start tonight, but late last night he drops out because he got a scan back from his knee injury and doctor said he can't play for a month." The injuries, and specifically the injuries to the defense, continue to prevent any consistency and cohesion in the defense.

It didn’t take long for Indy to continue the familiar refrain of playing behind. Jerome attempted to clear a ball over his head, which he mishit directly to a spot where it looked like he was purposefully passing it to Dyer. Dyer beat Oettl to the ball and put it under Indy’s keeper for an early 5th minute deficit. Another Indy defensive mistake, and the game changes.

The game changed, but this season has been rinse and repeat. Go down a goal. Be the better team. Play most of the game from behind as the opposition has the advantage of sitting in and defending for as much as they want/need. Sometimes the deficits were saved to take losses to draws, most often the deficits have stayed as losses. Indy haven't put together a single win streak in the first half of the season. A couple of undefeated streaks, but those have never lasted for more than two games.

After the goal, Tulsa settled into what frequently looked like a back 5 in defense, forcing Indy to try and move things quickly in the offensive third. Indy tilted the field in the right direction, but struggled to move things fast enough to get too many good looks. When they did, shots were easily collected by Nelson or were off target. Despite all the possession (2 to 1 advantage) and all the shots (11 to 4; 4 to 1 on target), Indy went into the halftime locker room down a goal, with a 15 minute break to try and figure out a different and better way to get themselves on the scoreboard. 

Coming out of the locker room, Indy looked very similar to what they did before going into it. Possession mostly in Tulsa's half of the field, but not with enough pace to disorient Tulsa enough to create any space for effective shots. The urgency that fans saw from Indy last week during the San Diego game just wasn't there for large stretches of the game tonight. The substitutions, which put Indy into an even more offensive state, provided additional energy, but they couldn't find the breakthrough goal to salvage the points. Despite Tulsa going 60 minutes between shots, their early goal allowed them to bunker enough to make life difficult for Indy in the final third of the field.

Indy has made player changes. They have made formational changes. The results continue to remain the same. A defensive mistake allows an early goal, and the opposition's tactics can change, knowing that Indy has struggled to score this year. So Indy gives up an early goal, chases, and ultimately gets just a point, or as in the case of tonight, zero points. I'm not sure how to fix things, but neither does the team. After the game, the players and coaches had a team meeting that lasted so long that Coach Lowry didn't come out to talk to the telecast. I hung around for another 15 minutes to see what he might say.

"I have to look at myself, and we've spoken there with the whole team, there's not much I can do. All I can do is set us up to be the better team on the day, and we're the better team on the day. Doesn't mean we get three points. I think the problem now is getting, it's the same players and same position every week that's costing us the game. So it's becoming glaringly obvious, by everybody in the locker room, and they're losing a lot of trust in certain players. It's inevitable. If you make mistakes and cost us goals, that's going to happen. That's just the way it is. ... So it's more now just trying to find a solution so that certain players don't play. That's the reality. ... It's the case of me finding somebody that can play there."

I have said it here before and I had written in my notes, "you are what your record says you are." Coach Lowry postgame, basically said the same phrase as it related to specific players. "I don't think some of these guys have the capacity to earn that trust from the group. They are who they are. I just have to find guys that can play there." Right now, the player and team record indicates a group that consistently makes a least one costly mistake per game and a team that is middle to bottom of the table team that is going to struggle to make the playoffs. With the upcoming string of games Indy is going to face, they really needed points out of this game, but they came up short. 

Indy plays again on Wednesday against Charleston who is sitting at the top of the table. The team you saw tonight will be the same team you see on Wednesday, with some minor adjustments of the starter/substitute roles. If Indy follows their season trend, Indy manages a win or draw in the game. If Indy gives up another early goal, the result will look just like this one.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Coach Lowry didn't agree with me, but I'm still sticking with my GBGB player being Macca King. 

Coach Lowry stated, "he turned the ball over too much for him. He looked a little slow on the turn. I didn't think it was his best game tonight. The two turnovers from him in the first half are unlike him. I know it was only twice, but he's better than that and he knows he's better than that."

I kept hearing, "for him." Yes, he made a couple of mistakes, but at times tonight, Macca King looked like the only player with any urgency and fight. That fight also gave him his 3rd yellow card in 3 consecutive games, but I don't think you can argue with his effort. King doesn't take off plays and works his ass off for every ball. I'm willing to forgive a couple mistakes because I can see the effort and the frustration with others who aren't giving that effort. I'm sure a rewatch or the stats might tell me I'm off, but it feels like King played in a way tonight that said, "what can I do to get the ball forward to somebody who can score or how do I get to a position to cross." Just felt like he is thinking forward first, and goes backwards when forced.

Despite Coach Lowry's assessment, I'm sticking with giving King the GBGB.

Additional Photos (Don Thompson Photography)

Indy Eleven vs Minnesota Aurora - 02.12 (Playoffs)

Summary

- Opponent: Minnesota Aurora
- Location: Atwood Stadium
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 1-0 W

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

- Substitution: Soderstrom, S. 68' (Dewey, S.); Kugler 68' (Chatterton); Ojongmboh 72' (Williams); Johnson 80' (Chester); Whitsett 80' (Soderstrom, K.)

- Unused: Edwards, Wilson

- Scoring Summary:
IND – Dewey, S. 57’ (assist Bahr)

- Bookings:

IND - Chatterton 47’ (Yellow)

- Referee: Meghan Brasseur

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

We can all say that this wasn't a revenge game after last season's only loss of the year came at the hands of Minnesota Aurora in the first game of the playoffs, but 6 of today's starters were starters for Indy in that game. They remember. Players hold grudges if they think it can give them an edge. They didn't want this season to end the same way to the same club. 

Both of these teams can score goals. Minnesota scored 60 goals in 12 games, scoring 5 goals or more 7 different times. Indy were not as prolific as their opponent throughout the season, but Indy fans know that the talent is there. It wasn't a matter of not getting shots, it was just a function of not being as clinical around goal at times. Otherwise, Indy's goal scoring could have been higher. Additionally, both teams had stingy defenses; Minnesota conceded just 4 goals and Indy conceded 3 goals during the regular season. Much like last year, these are two very talented teams, both deserving of their position in the playoffs. Minnesota started the playoffs on Thursday with a 1-nil penalty kick win over Chicago City SC, while Indy defeated Flint City 3-nil.

Indy began the game in a 4-5-1 arrangement with Williams the lone forward up top. In the early part of the game, Williams picked up 3 early shots on goal, but couldn't get it past Poorbaugh who put herself in good positions for each of the shots. Then the game settled into both teams getting some possession and some opportunities. Minnesota held more of the possession, but Indy had 4 shots on target to Minnesota's 2. 

With every Minnesota attempt going forward, I realized that I watch playoff soccer differently. Writing for this site, I often have one eye on the game and one eye on the screen as I type. This game was stressful to watch with Minnesota's physical high press. The game had the feeling, that despite both team's firepower up top, this game could come down to a single defensive mistake since neither team leaks many goals. As a result, I was constantly on edge. As the halftime whistle blew with the score tied nil-nil, I felt as ready for the break as the players.

As the rain started to fall in the second half, my fear that the game would come down to a defensive mistake was exacerbated. Rain causes the ball to do weird things on turf, and a mistake seemed more likely. Fortunately for Indy, a foul by Minnesota in Indy's offensive third allowed for set piece opportunity. A perfect Bahr service into the box forced Poorbaugh to stay on her line, and Dewey found her foot to it to give Indy a 1-nil lead in the 57th minute.

The game was fairly wide open leading up to the goal, but the game took another notch up as Minnesota was now forced to chase the game. Minnesota's frustration of being down a goal, a position they likely haven't been in much (if ever) this season, began to show itself as they started being a little more physical and arguing every call and Indy's attempts to take the air out of the game by slowing down every restart. 

Despite Minnesota's late effort, they couldn't break through Indy's defense and the game finished with a 1-nil victory for Indy Eleven, bringing a conference championship trophy home with them. A "one game at a time" mentality, stout defending, and a timely goal puts Indy two wins away from a league title. At this point, it's unknown where the semifinal/final games will be played. [edit: apparently I missed the announcement that Indy will be hosting the games at Grand Park! This is a big deal and Indy fans need to pack the stadium.] Indy fans can hope that we host so we can cheer on the team in person.

Now I'm off to hopefully watch, and write about, the men's team beat Tulsa...

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Bahr. Indy's former player/coach was a beast today. She made timely defensive recoveries, and seemingly every time that Minnesota made an attempt towards goal, she was in the way. As if her defensive effort wasn't enough, she was also the one who served in the ball that became the game winner. In a full team effort, Bahr stood out as the one who helped gut out the win.

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 San Diego FC - 10.16

Summary

- Opponent: San Diego FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,072
- Final Score: 2-2 D

- Starting XI: Oettl, Boudadi, King, Diz Pe, Dambrot, Rissi, Quinn, Lindley, Martinez, Molina, Guenzatti (C)

- Substitution: Asante 58’ (King); Vazquez 66’ (Dambrot); Robledo 74’ (Molina)

- Unused: Trilk, Jerome, Sanchez, Velasquez

- Scoring Summary:
SD – Adams, C. 32’ (Penalty Kick)
SD – Conway 54’ (assist Moshobane)
IND – Quinn 66’ (Penalty Kick)
IND – Quinn 82’ (Penalty Kick)

- Bookings:

IND – Dambrot 7’ (Yellow)

IND – King 14’ (Yellow)

SD – Perez 39’ (Yellow)

IND – Diz Pe 57’ (Yellow)

IND – Rissi 58’ (RED)

SD – Damus 74’ (Yellow)

SD – Martin 89’ (Yellow)

IND – Lindley 90’+12’ (Yellow)

- Referee: Matthew Corrigan

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Fresh off a 2-nil win in Hartford last weekend in the pogo stick season, Indy returned home to The Mike with the goal of making the most of their 4 games out of 6 in the month of July by reversing the fortunes of last year’s game against San Diego. When Indy went to SD last season, Indy returned home with an enjoyable weather experience, but a 5-nil loss. Indy start the month with San Diego, who are hovering around the Western Conference’s playoff line like Indy is in the Eastern Conference. After a game next weekend against FC Tulsa, Indy then go on a run of games against all six of the teams currently above them on the table. If Indy is going to make any movement up the table, the next month is going to be vital. Getting a good result in the next two home games against SD and Tulsa would help provide some confidence before that stretch of games.

Indy fans were able to welcome back Nick Moon and Elliot Collier who are now plying their trade with the Loyal. Moon did exactly what Indy fans saw of him from his time here. Blast up the left flank, send in crosses, and generally be a pain for the back line of Indy, especially Boudadi who was charged with trying to keep Moon at bay. Collier came on after the halftime break.

First Half Heat Map

Indy and San Diego looked like they both wanted to play the same way for a majority of the early going in this game. Press the other’s back line and then find moments to go over the top. Possession, possession, possession, GO! So much of this early game happened within 20-yards on each side of the half field line. Just after the 30-minute mark, one of those quick attacks put SD through Indy’s backs and led to a poke from Boudadi in the box that got more player than ball, and SD headed to the spot. Oettl went to his right, Charlie Adams went the other way, and in the 32nd minute Indy once again found themselves chasing another game. The middle of the field chess match continued until halftime.

Within ten minutes of coming out of the locker room, the possession, possession, possession, GO! gave San Diego their second goal as Moshobane and Conway one-and-two touched their way through the Indy defense to give them a 2-nil lead. At that point, the hill became a little harder to climb so Lowry made his first changes from a defensive posture bringing in Asante for King. 

Rissi then threw both team's initial game plans out of the window when he picked up his second red card in the past four games in the 58th minute after getting beat by a toe poke around him. The hill from the first goal became a mountain with a two-goal deficit and down a player.

Friday night, Indy fans watched as the women took it to St. Charles who were playing with two fewer players due to still unknown reasons. Indy scored within the first 3 minutes and never took their collective foot off the throttle, getting their 16th goal of the game in the 89th minute, while keeping St. Charles scoreless. The team set a club and league record with their 16 goals and goal differential. While that was something that I'll likely never witness again, what happened tonight for Indy was something I never thought I would see from an Indy Eleven team.

Down 2 goals. Down a man. 

Indy fought.

 

In the 65th minute, Asante's press with San Diego's box put him between the ball and Kyle Adams, who was a little rough with the diminutive Asante, who fell to the ground (as he is want to do), thereby forcing the ref to award a penalty kick, which helped kick start the interesting end to the game. Quinn stepped up to calmly slot home his fourth penalty kick of the season to bring the game back within a goal. The dreaded 2-l score line.

The penalty kick set into motion a closing 25 minutes where the game became wide open with both teams foregoing the early game midfield chess match and began to put ball after ball over the top. San Diego was trying to make full use of having a numbers advantage and a rash of Indy defenders on yellow cards, while Indy was clawing to get the game level. The game started as a chess match, but the fact that this game was taking place in the Mike A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium was poignant as the game turned into a track meet. 

The track meet continued until Asante, again, found himself knocked down just inside the San Diego 18-yard box, and Indy was awarded their second penalty kick of the night. In the 82nd minute, Quinn once again stepped up and rocketed his kick to the right side of the goal while Koke Vegas went to the left. Despite being a man down for the preceding 24-minutes, Indy found themselves level in a game where they had also been down two goals. 

With thunderstorms closing in on the stadium threatening to bring everybody's night to a wet end, Indy fans gutted out an announced 8 minutes of stoppage time that ballooned to 13 minutes to watch an improbable comeback from Indy. Indy Eleven and the fans would prefer to stop putting themselves in this positions by not giving up early goals and keeping guys healthy or free of red cards, the fight they showed tonight was heartening. In a season that has bounced around from good to bad enough to give fans whiplash, at least the team is fighting until the end. I'm willing to concede some results to bad luck, and some bad decisions, when the guys fight like they did tonight.

As has been the case since Week 11, Indy remains mired in 7th place on the table; still in a playoff position, but the inconsistent results and injuries have prevented them from moving up. On a two-game undefeated streak with Tulsa coming to town next weekend, Indy will hope to use tonight's result as a springboard for the rest of the month.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Look, Quinn scored two goals from the spot. Asante set up the possibility for both of those goals by getting knocked down in the box twice. Both players could easily be awarded tonight's GBGB. As I've said on many occasions on this site, sometimes the person who receives this award from me often comes down to the player that stands out for me. Sometimes this is due to scoring or defense or goalkeeping. Tonight it comes down to the repeated vision of Cam Lindley to send ridiculous ball after ridiculous ball through the lines to give the guys in front of him a chance to do something with it. He sent balls over the top. He sent perfectly weighted balls along the ground through multiple defenders. He had a passing accuracy of 83%. He simply did the little things tonight that gave Indy a chance for the point tonight under difficult circumstances. My only issue with his game tonight was that the picked up his team-leading 7th yellow card of the season in the 90'+12' on a foul I'm not sure that he had to make. Otherwise, Cam had a good showing in front of the contingency of Lindleys that I saw in the stands tonight

Additional Photos (Don Thompson Photography)

Indy Eleven vs St. Charles - 02.10

Summary

- Opponent: St. Charles FC
- Location: Grand Park
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 16-0 W

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

- Substitution: Edwards 45’ (Reason); Kugler 45’ (Dewey, S.); Soderstrom, S. 63’ (Williams); Ojongmboh 63’ (Chester); Lynch 63’ (Sexton); Martin 63’ (Creel)

- Unused: Johnson

- Scoring Summary:
IND – Williams 3’ (assist Watson)
IND – Dewey, S. 14’ (unassisted)
IND – Bahr 19’ (Penalty Kick)
IND – Chester 35’ (assist Rogers)
IND – Dewey, S. 38’ (assist Creel)
IND – Dewey, S. 40’ (unassisted)
IND – Chester 42’ (unassisted)
IND – Williams 48’ (assist Chester)
IND – Williams 53’ (assist Rogers)
IND – Williams 54’ (assist Chester)
IND – Own Goal 58’
IND – Soderstrom, K. 73’ (assist Soderstrom, S.)
IND – Soderstrom, S. 77’ (assist Bahr)
IND – Soderstrom, K. 78’ (assist Soderstrom, S.)
IND – Kugler 88’ (Penalty Kick)
IND – Kugler 89’ (assist Soderstrom, K.)

- Bookings:

STC – Barcom 87’ (Yellow)

IND – Kugler 90’ (Yellow)

- Referee: ?

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Nona Reason feeling lonely...

Coming into the season, there looked like a very real possibility that the Valley Division winner could be determined by the higher goal differential between Indy and Racing Louisville. However, the math has been easy since Indy beat Racing Louisville on June 6th, giving Indy the first tiebreaker of head-to-head results, with Indy winning the season series 1W-1D-0L. So while Racing has put a ton of goals on the board this season, particularly recently as Racing beat tonight’s opponent, St. Charles, on Saturday by a score of 7-nil and then again on Monday by a score of 9-nil, the only goal differential that mattered was the +2 differential between Indy and Racing. Indy made things a little more difficult by getting a surprise home 2-nil loss to St. Charles, but Indy have returned to their goal scoring ways making tonight’s game an official win-and-your-in scenario.

Indy was going to be fired up to not make any doubt that the loss to St. Charles was a fluke, but when starting lineups were given, and as St. Charles began warming up, they had 10 players on the paper, and only 9 players warming up. That’s it. This was some Norman Dale, “that’s my team on the floor,” situation. Nine players. No substitutes, and a backup keeper playing in the field. That’s a tough ask against a team with revenge on their mind, and was a game away from making a second trip to the playoffs as long as they won. 

Earlier this year, the men's team had an approximate 80/20 possession advantage over Las Vegas. While the women's games don't keep track of possession, this game was more lopsided than the men's game. At best it was a 90/10 advantage, but this game could have been sponsored by WFMS, because possession was probably closer to 95/5.

Indy made no mistake about their intentions, when Soderstrom, K. fired on St. Charles' goal within 12 seconds that Miller managed to parry over the crossbar, setting up the first of many corner kicks on the night. St. Charles managed to clear that corner kick into Indy's defensive half, but it didn’t take long for Indy to get the ball back into their offensive half, and not much longer to get the scoring started as Williams put a header on the board in the 3rd minute (2:27). At that point, already down a goal and down two players, St. Charles tried to take the pace out of the game by not being overly quick about their restarts. However, trying to slow Indy tonight was an impossible task as there wasn’t much time between shots as Indy kept firing frequently. At halftime, Indy had taken a 7-nil lead thanks to a 24-nil shot advantage. That would balloon to a 16-nil win on a 47-2 shot difference.

Once STC came out with 9 players giving Indy a full ninety minutes with a two-player advantage, the objectives for Indy changed. After Williams opened the scoring early, things changed for what Indy needed to do after taking the first step to solidifying their playoff spot against a team that wasn't going to be able to keep up. With Williams' scored, Indy only wanted/needed to keep a clean sheet, to keep everybody healthy, to work on possession, and to work on how to beat a very compact, very low block. St. Charles were as compact as they could be, but there was nothing they could do tonight against Indy's talent and personnel advantage.

All that being said, I have nothing but respect for Miller, Thorpe, Adams, Imming, White, Osvath, Lande, Rutherford, & Barcom for making the trip and competing as best they could under an adverse situation. They were outmatched and outnumbered, but they played as best they could given the circumstances. It’s a tough night for them, and one that they will likely not want to remember, but they competed and I respect them for that.

Tonight's game was the final regular season game for the Valley Division, so the final stats are in. Thanks to Indy's onslaught of goals tonight, they finish with an 8W-1D-1L record, and 40 goals on the year versus 3 goals against for a final goal differential of +37. Despite having the same win/loss record, Racing Louisville finished in 2nd place thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker, having scored 42 goals versus 4 against for a final goal differential of +38. Everyone thought it might come down to goal differential, and even that ended up being close. Lexington, Kings Hammer, and St. Charles finish the season in that order, with St. Charles taking an absolute beating this year to the tune of a -48 goal differential, largely as a result of the 32 goals they gave up this week to Racing Louisville and Indy. 

Indy will now head to Flint, Michigan to play their, hopefully, first playoff game this season next Thursday. They don’t yet know who they will be playing at this point, but they do know that they can put the ball in the goal. Admittedly, whoever they play on Thursday will likely have more than 9 players on the field, but being able to watch the ball hit the net 16 times right before starting the playoffs is never a bad thing. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Where do you start when the team puts a Sweet Sixteen on their opponent? Rogers for her two assists? Chester for a brace within a 7-minute timeframe plus two assists? Kugler for her brace within 2-minutes? Dewey for a first-half hat trick? Williams for a second-half hat trick to go with her first half goal for a total of 4? With so much offensive prowess on display tonight, nearly everybody is deserving of the GBGB. However, I want to give it to the Soderstrom sisters. Katie finished with 2 goals and an assist, while Susie finished with 1 goal and 2 assists, with all of that (with the exception of Katie's assist) happening within a 5 minute stretch. Oh yeah, and Susie's assists were for Katie's goals. Katie has had issues lately keeping her shots on target, but seeing the joy on her face as the two of them destroyed St. Charles in that five minute stretch might be the thing that she needs moving into the playoffs. On a night when everybody was deserving, the Soderstrom Sisters edge our their teammates for the GBGB.