NASL Indy Eleven

Brian Brown Strike Salvages Draw for Indy Eleven

Published on October 3, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Indy Eleven News Release


JACKSONVILLE, FL (Saturday, October 3, 2015) - Indy Eleven forward Brian Brown's 83rd minute strike pushed the Eleven to a 1-1 draw against Jacksonville Armada FC in a Saturday night showdown at Community First Park in Jacksonville.

Brown's late equalizer was his third goal in checkers, placing him in a now four-way tie atop the Indy Eleven goals leaderboard. Rushing behind the Armada back line, Brown deposited a long chip that sailed over the Armada defense from Wojciech Wojcik to even the match deep into regulation time.

The goal capped off 20 minutes of offense that rained down on the Armada after Jacksonville defender Mechack Jérôme was sent off with a 63rd minute red card for kicking Wojcik as he lay prone with the ball atop his legs. After previously playing with a defensive mindset, the Boys in Blue elevated the pace and used tight passes near the box to set up numerous chances.

Jacksonville's lone success of the first 45 came on the counter, turning an Indy Eleven corner kick on one end of the pitch into a cross and header that bested Eleven starter Keith Cardona.

Dribbling through the middle of the field, Armada midfielder Jaime Castrillón attempted to draw a foul after pushing the ball wide but referee Juan Guzman, Jr. allowed the play to continue. With the ball just outside the box, Pascal Millien chipped a cross over the head of the Indy defender allowing Castrillón to streak into the box and deposit a header that put the Eleven down 1-0 early.

Roughly four minutes later, Dane Richards dribbled down the side of the field countering for the Boys in Blue, breaking through a Lucas Scaglia tackle before the play was whistled dead. Scaglia earned his 11th yellow card of the 2015 NASL season for his trouble, while a visibly frustrated Richards was unable to continue pressing down the sideline.

Entering the second half with just 41% possession, Indy continued to battle back and seek out quality chances whenever possible. Wojcik finished the match with four credited shots including a header that nearly evened the match while Marvin Ceballos and Duke Lacroix added stout chances of their own but couldn't beat Armada goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo.

Following Brown's game-tying goal, the Eleven were quickly forced to defend. Putting the ball back in play instantly, a sequence of passes found Akeil Barrett had netted a goal but the referee ruled it was a handball on the attacking Armada forward after Cory Miller defenseman disrupted his dribble and sent the ball skyward.

Tested early three times, Cardona made his final and most important save of the game in the 90th minute of the match, diving to stuff a Lucas Scaglia blast from the top of the box and salvaging a crucial standings point.

Indy Eleven will begin its final homestand of the season - a three-game run on consecutive Saturdays - on Saturday, October 10, when it welcomes the San Antonio Scorpions to Carroll Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Tickets for the match starting at just $10 are available at www.IndyEleven.com, while a special "Inside the Front Office" seminar package - including a Sideline or East Goal Bottom section ticket and access to a two-hour pre-game Q&A/networking session with nine Indianapolis sports executives - are available for $25 at http://frontoffice.indyeleven.com.

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North American Soccer League Stories from October 3, 2015


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