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NASL FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton Puts Forth Positive Effort in 1-0 Loss to Indy Eleven

July 23, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


EDMONTON, AB - FC Edmonton (7W-3D-4L ) travelled to Indianapolis, July 23 to take on Indy Eleven (7W-7D-1L) at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on Saturday evening, dropping a 1-0 decision on the road to the North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Season champions.

Midfielder Greg Janicki registered the lone goal in the match, while Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch tied Eddies' 'keeper Matt VanOekel and New York's Jimmy Mauer atop the league with six clean sheets on the year.

Featuring a back line without the services of captain Albert Watson and June's NASL Player of the Month Pape Diakite, the Eddies were in search of their third straight win.

However, it was Indy who would go ahead early with veteran Janicki opening the scoring in the match. Janicki headed home a Dylan Mares free kick from 25 yards out on 13 minutes after finding space inside the box, putting his side up 1-0.

Janicki's side nearly doubled their lead six minutes later, after Omar Gordon received a feed from teammate Nemanja Vukovic, but Eddies 'keeper Matt VanOekel was in good position to make the stop.

The Eddies were not without their own chances to level the match, and nearly found an equalizer on 22 minutes when striker Tomi Ameobi found New York native Jake Keegan in the box. Keegan's blistering shot would go just high of Busch's crossbar.

The Eddies' were back at it just two minutes later, with defender Adam Eckersley receiving the ball inside the box before being taken down. Inside the six yard box, Ameobi was unable to corral the ball for an opportunity on net.

The Eddies continued to receive chances, with acting captain Nik Ledgerwood sending a strike from distance that would drift just off target on 27 minutes, while Ameobi nearly registered his first goal of the year at the tail end of the first half, redirecting a header just inches high of the net.

VanOekel was called upon late in the half, making a left-handed stop on midfielder Eamon Zayed despite heading the wrong way on the initial shot. The Eddies would head into the break down 1-0 despite a 60-percent edge in possession.

The Eddies continued to press for a goal as the second half got underway, with an early chance from Eckersley failing to connect with any teammates in the box. Coming the other way, Indy found themselves with another chance to put the match away on 57 minutes, after Zayed found the ball at his feet inside the area but was unable to notch his eighth goal on the season, sending a right-footed shot towards net that VanOekel did well to deflect away from danger.

Indy began to gain momentum as the half continued, sending several attempts toward VanOekel's net. The Eddies' towering keeper did not flinch, making multiple stops to keep his team within reach. Despite VanOekel's efforts and a positive overall performance, the Eddies were unable to find an equalizer, suffering their fourth defeat of the year and first of the Fall Season as Indy withstood a late push by the visitors in the matches' final moments.

"I think we deserve a great deal of credit," FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller stated following the match. "I thought we deserved a lot more in the first half in particular. We passed the ball well and we created good chances...I can't fault the players for their attitude and the way they played. We will play worse than we did tonight and win games. I am absolutely gutted for the players that we didn't get at least a point tonight because I believe we deserved that."

FC Edmonton returns home to Clarke Field to face New York Cosmos, Wednesday, July 27 at Clarke Field at 7:00 p.m. For tickets and more information, click HERE (https://tickets.fcedmonton.com/?mc_cidc5c1aeb11d&mc_eid[UNIQID]), call 780.700.2600 or visit www.fcedmonton.com.

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North American Soccer League Stories from July 23, 2016


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