NASL Indy Eleven

Blake Smith Lights up Dayton, Indy Advances in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

May 28, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Indy Eleven News Release


INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 28, 2014) - Three goals and two assists by Indy Eleven's Blake Smith helped light up scoreboard in a 5-2 win against the Dayton Dutch Lions at IUPUI's Michael A. Carroll Stadium in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The win marked the first official victory in Indy Eleven history and allowed the squad to advance to a Fourth Round affair against Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew on June 17.

Coming off big draw against the New York Cosmos last weekend, Indy Eleven came out firing on all cylinders in front of a crowd of 9,181 at "The Mike." Indy Eleven moved the scoreboard first in the 26th minute, giving the squad its first lead since its April 12 opener against the Carolina RailHawks. Smith set up play at the top of the box, where he decided to turn and fire, sending a screaming ball past the hands of Dayton's Bradley Sturver for the Montreal Impact loan product's first goal in an Indy Eleven uniform.

The hot start didn't fade for Indy Eleven - or for Smith. A pass from forward Ben Spencer in the 30th minute landed right at the feet of Smith, who drove down the left side of the box and kissed a shot off the right post to set the score at 2-0.

Indy Eleven dealt a crushing blow to the visitors in the 43rd minute, when Smith this time played provider. Forward Mike Ambersley slotted Smith's cross home in the 43rd minute to give Indy a 3-0 cushion heading into the locker room at halftime.

Adding to his breakout performance, Smith added another assist to his tally on a pass to midfielder Dylan Mares for a goal less than a minute after the break to keep the momentum moving forward at 4-0.

Dayton filled their goal void in the 66th minute, as a trip up in the box by Indy Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht resulted in a penalty kick and a yellow card against defender Kyle Hyland. Dutch Lions forward Aaron Shoenfeld sent his spot kick to the left side of the net, and while Nicht reacted correctly to the shot he saw the ball bounce underneath him to put Dayton on the board at 4-1.

Dayton kept their comeback hopes alive with a goal in the 76th minute on a pass from forward Joseph Broekhuizen to midfielder Matt Walker, who placed the ball into the top right corner of the net to halve Indy's lead to a 4-2 score line.

But Smith decided he had a trick up his sleeve - in this case, a hat trick - as he sealed the deal for the Eleven in the 88th minute with his third of the night. A through ball from midfielder Don Smart prompted claims for offside from Dayton, but to no prevail as Smith attacked the box head on and slipped a slow roller into the back of the net, capping his monumental night off with a double back flip that marked the start of the team's first victory celebration.

Indy Eleven now moves on the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup and will take on the Columbus Crew at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron, Ohio, on Tuesday, June 17. Kickoff at FirstEnergy Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Indy Eleven will try to continue its hot hand at "The Mike" this Saturday, May 31, when it rounds out the home portion of its 2014 NASL Spring Season with a match up against the San Antonio Scorpions. Kickoff time is set for 7:30 p.m., and limited tickets for Saturday's match remain available via IndyEleven.com.

INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER

On getting the first win in Indy Eleven history:

"Wins always help! It's good for the camaraderie of the team and to be rewarded for the work you put in during the week. And now we get to go on in the tournament, which gives us another opportunity to promote the club on a bigger stage and to face an MLS team in the Columbus Crew. It's great to get the first win in club history and scratch that piece of history off the board and stay in the mix for the Cup.

On the team's overall performance tonight:

"We worked hard all across the field again and it paid off again. There were some moments on the defensive side that we still need to shore up, but the boys overall were pretty bright tonight."

On carrying momentum over from Saturday's 1-1 draw at the New York Cosmos:

"We got a really hard-earned point in New York on Saturday, and that could very well have served as a bit of a turning point in our season. I think that certainly translated into a good couple of training sessions earlier this week and then into the game tonight."

On the performance of midfielder Blake Smith:

"Hats off to Blake Smith for the hat trick. He was certainly our Man of the Match, coming through with some really clinical finishing, really taking his opportunities well."

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