Indy Eleven Scores Early, Survives Late in 2-1 Victory over Fort Lauderdale
October 24, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Indy Eleven News Release
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, October 24, 2015) - Indy Eleven once again played spoiler in regards to a contender for The Championship, opening up an early lead and hanging on late to defeat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2-1 in front of 9,213 fans in the 2015 home season finale at Carroll Stadium.
With tonight's result, Fort Lauderdale no longer controls its own destiny in the chase for the fourth and final spot in the NASL's postseason format, now trailing in-state rival Tampa Bay Rowdies by a single point heading into next weekend's final matches. Meanwhile, Indy Eleven closed out its home slate with back-to-back wins over top half teams for a second straight season, pushing into seventh place on the league's 2015 Combined Season table in the process.
While Indy Eleven started to open up an advantage in possession, the majority of the match's opening quarter hour was played in the middle third of the field. Even the first serious look came from near the midfield stripe in the 18th minute when Indy midfielder Sergio Pena hit a surprise strike that forces Strikers goalkeeper David Meves to tip away from the upper corner of his goal.
The "Boys in Blue" once again were able to break through first just two minutes later on a low shot by midfielder Don Smart that beat Meves low and to his left side. Receiving a tight pass from midfielder Marvin Ceballos near the center circle, Smart used a series of touches to bring the ball onto his right foot and blast the Eleven to an early 1-0 lead.
Indy continued to utilize the middle of the field and looked to build on their lead through set pieces. Reviving a far post corner into the center of the 18-yard box, Peña saw his feed received by defender Greg Janicki who headed the ball onto the foot of Brian Brown. Meves was up to the task, but continued to be tested by a relentless Indy Eleven attack.
Indy Eleven put an exclamation point on its productive first half when a perfectly placed free kick from Dylan Mares found the head of Brown, whose shot from near the penalty spot tied him with the Mares for the team lead on five goals. In extra time of the first half, Smart appeared to have struck once again, but the referee deemed the Jamaican handled the ball before getting off his shot.
On the other end of the field, Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht saw his first real test 54 minutes into the match. With time and space, Strikers scoring leader Stefano Pinho fired a heavy shot from 30 yards out, but the veteran Nicht was up to the task, diving high and left to knock out for a corner.
After being subbed in at halftime, Strikers attacker Jose Angulo was the recipient of an Erick Norales turnover inside the Eleven defensive third. With no pressure, Angulo had time to set up and beat Nicht from 20 yards out to cut Indy's lead in half, 2-1, just before the hour mark.
Another haltime sub, Dani Sánchez, nearly evened things up in the 64th minute when he looked to catch Nicht off his line, but the German netminder scrambled back to tip the long-distance effort over his crossbar. On the ensuing corner kick, the Eleven were able to jam the defensive box, blocking multiple shots to retain the lead.
The Indy Eleven defense held up despite plenty of pressure from Fort Lauderdale in the last 20 minutes and amid a key injury to the captain Norales, who exited the match in the 85th minute and was replaced by Cory Miller. Blocking two crucial free kicks, Nicht also punched out a pivotal cross by former teammate Walter Ramirez in a lengthy extra time to go along with his four saves that preserved the win.
Indy Eleven will be one of the first teams to close out its 2015 slate next Friday, October 30, when it takes to the road to face the Carolina RailHawks at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the match from WakeMed Park in Cary, N.C., online via the ESPN3 streaming video feed, which will be screened at Indy Eleven Watch Parties across the Hoosier State. The match will also air live via Spanish language radio on La Pura Mega and www.LaPuraMega.com.
INDY ELEVEN INTERIM HEAD COACH TIM REGAN
On Fort Lauderdale's response in the second half:
"They made two changes that made them a better attacking team. They have a couple forwards and a wide guy that can come inside and cause us problems. It took us a while to figure out how to deal with it. That being said, we still didn't concede a lot in terms of possession in the attacking half. We conceded a lot of balls into the box and long passes forward, but I thought we dealt with it fairly well except for the lack of quality clearances."
On the team changing from when he took over as head coach and being able to maintain leads
"It helps to score early. Because in that way they have to push the game and we're able to sit back and absorb a little bit. We're not under as much pressure to try and push ourselves forward. That's one major factor, and then the guys just learn as time goes on and I think we've proved that over the past couple of weeks."
INDY ELEVEN MIDFIELDER BRIAN BROWN
On being able to use the middle of the field and the resulting goals in the first half:
"That's what we wanted to do. Dylan Mares and Zach (Steinberger) are always open in the midfield, so if you pass the ball to them you're always open as well. For me, up top by myself, I tried to go outside and create space so we can score on them. It's good to have space in the midfield to do whatever."
On his goal off of Dylan Mares' free kick:
"We're always waiting on a perfect cross from Dylan Mares. That's what we got. I just attacked the ball and got a result."
INDY ELEVEN GOALKEEPER KRISTIAN NICHT
On Indy Eleven making big defensive stops late:
"We faced pressure almost the whole second half; it was quite a piece of work. I think we dealt well with most of it. They have a good offense so we couldn't underestimate how good they are, how much they can score, and how much they've been scoring in the past. I think we did really well."
On having to make some big saves late after not being tested much early:
"That's why you're in the goal as a goalkeeper. You're not getting tested too often per game and you have to be there for your team when they need you. Glad I could do this today and help my team win."
NASL Fall Season
Indy Eleven 2 : 1 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Michael A. Carroll Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 9,213
Indy Eleven:
Fall Season: 5W-5D-9L (20 pts.)
Combined: 8W-9D-12L (33 pts.)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers:
Fall Season: 7W-6D-6L (27 pts.)
Combined: 10W-8D-11L (38 pts.)
Scoring Summary:
IND - Don Smart (Marvin Ceballos) 20'
IND - Brian Brown (Dylan Mares) 43'
FTL - Jose Angulo (unassisted) 59'
Discipline Summary:
IND - Don Smart (caution) 29'
IND - Zach Steinberger (caution) 34'
IND - Kristian Nicht (caution) 90+'
FTL - Hendry Thomas (caution) 90+'
Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2): Kristian Nicht; Jaime Frias, Erick Norales (Capt.) (Cory Miller 85'), Greg Janicki, Marco Franco; Don Smart, Sergio Peña, Zach Steinberger, Marvin Ceballos (Duke Lacroix 68'); Dylan Mares(Brad Ring 74'), Brian Brown
Indy Eleven bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Daniel Keller, Wojciech Wojcik
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (4-2-3-1): David Meves; Iván Guerrero (Gabriel 75'), Jordan Graye, Frankie Sanfilippo, Jonathan Borrajo; Hendry Thomas, James Marcelin (Capt.) (Dani Sánchez 45'); Walter Ramirez, Marlon Freitas, Shawn Chin (Jose Angulo 45'); Stefano Pinho
Strikers bench: Lionel Brown (GK), Manny Gonzalez, Daniel Navarro, Bruno Nunes
North American Soccer League Stories from October 24, 2015
- Tampa Bay Win, Fort Lauderdale Loss Sets up Dramatic Final Weekend - NASL
- RailHawks Fall 1-0 at Tampa Bay Rowdies - North Carolina FC
- Minnesota United Gets 1-0 Win in Front of a Sellout Crowd at NSC Stadium - Minnesota United FC
- Indy Eleven Scores Early, Survives Late in 2-1 Victory over Fort Lauderdale - Indy Eleven
- Rowdies Take Control of Playoff Race with 1-0 Win over Carolina - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Strikers Fall 2-1 at Indy Eleven - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Silverbacks Surge into Minnesota #MNUvATLâ=9A=BD - Atlanta Silverbacks
- FCE Match Preview vs. Jacksonville Armada FC - FC Edmonton
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