Manuel Arteaga's Hat Trick Brings Boys in Blue Victory in South Carolina
June 4, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Indy Eleven News Release
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. - Indy Eleven (6W-4L-2D) took home three points on the road Saturday night in South Carolina, defeating Charleston Battery 4-3 at Patriots Point. The Boys in Blue were bolstered by a first half hat trick from Manuel Arteaga plus two assists from two-time USL Championship Most Valuable Player Solomon Asante and a goal and assist from Stefano Pinho. The victory lifted Indiana's Team into a three-way tie for fifth place on 20 points on the Eastern Conference table alongside the Tampa Bay Rowdies and its next opponent, The Miami FC.
While it took some time for both teams to get a feel for the game early on, by the 20th minute the Eleven in particular began to fire on all cylinders. Arteaga's stunning three-goal performance highlighted the highest scoring half of the season for the Boys in Blue, in which the team netted each of its season-high four goals. Before Arteaga's hat trick kicked off, it was Pinho who continued his early season hot streak, scoring for a second-consecutive game thanks to a well-placed pass from Asante in front of an open goal in the 21st minute. In his first start for Indy Eleven, Asante notched his second and already team-high third assists of the season, bringing him to a total of 44 in his career that is tied for the second most in USL Championship regular season history.
In the blink of an eye after Pinho's goal, the Eleven were up 2-0. Arteaga scored the first of his three goals in the 25th minute, making a clinical finish off of a cut in the bottom right corner to double Indy's lead. Just as quickly as 1-0 turned to 2-0, 2-0 turned to 3-0 thanks again to the heroics of Arteaga. The Venezuelan found the bottom right corner once more following a run down the middle of the pitch by Pinho, opening a lane for Arteaga to finish the job.
Arteaga's third and final goal of the evening came just two minutes after Charleston's Augustine Williams scored in the 35th, as he scorched another low ball past Daniel Kuzemka for a hat trick that opened his 2022 scoring account in grand fashion. The hat trick by last year's leading scorer for Indiana's Team is the first for an Eleven player during the team's now four-plus seasons in USL Championship play and just the third all-time, joining Eamon Zayed (2016 NASL regular season) and Blake Smith (2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup).
While the Eleven were in control for the majority of the game, Charleston made a furious comeback to make things interesting in the closing moments of the match, this after a pair of apparent finishes by Williams were wiped off the board for justifiable offside calls during the second half. In the 89th minute, Emmanuel Johnson skipped a ball past Bryan Meredith's right post in the goalkeeper's first start for the Eleven, bringing the Battery within two.
Just three minutes later, Charleston found the back of the net again, this time with Williams earning his brace out of a scramble in front of the net following a corner. Ultimately it would not be enough as nearly six minutes of added time ran out, giving Indy Eleven its first ever win on the road against Charleston Battery in three tries and its second away victory of the season next to a 2-1 triumph at Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in early April.
Indy Eleven will play the second match of four on its month-long road trip this week, when the Boys in Blue take on The Miami FC in a midweek fixture in South Florida on Wednesday, June 8. The 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff can be viewed live in Central Indiana on MyINDY-TV 23 and seen nationally via live streaming on ESPN+.
Indy Eleven's next home match will take place during the July 4th weekend, when Indiana's Team will host Miami for their return match during its "Indy-pendence" Celebration game on Saturday, July 2. The special 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Carroll Stadium will be followed by a post-game fireworks display; more details on the evening's festivities are available at indyeleven.com/promotions.
Tickets for that holiday weekend affair - and all remaining Indy Eleven regular season contests - are available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets. Fans who cannot make it to The Mike can follow the action on MyINDY-TV 23, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/exitos943.com, and the @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers.
2022 USL Championship Regular Season - Matchday 12
Charleston Battery 3 : 4 Indy Eleven
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Scoring Summary:
IND - Stefano Pinho (Solomon Asante) 21'
IND - Manuel Arteaga (unassisted) 25'
IND - Manuel Arteaga (Stefano Pinho) 28'
CHS - Augustine Williams (Matt Sheldon) 35'
IND - Manuel Arteaga (Solomon Asante) 37'
CHS - Emmanuel Johnson (Andrew Booth) 89'
CHS - Augustine Williams (unassisted) 90+2'
Disciplinary Summary:
CHS -Matt Sheldon (yellow card) 19'
CHS - Tristan Weber (yellow card) 43'
IND - A.J. Cochran (yellow card) 43'
IND - Sam Brown (yellow card) 45'
CHS - Romario Piggott (yellow card) 45+2'
CHS - Augustine Williams (yellow card) 46'
IND -Manuel Arteaga (yellow card) 71'
CHS - Mauro Cichero (yellow card) 75'
CHS - Preston Kilwien (yellow card) 90+4'
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2): Bryan Meredith; Jared Timmer, A.J. Cochran, Mechack Jerome, Justin Ingram; Nicky Law (Ecris Revolorio 90+5'); Sam Brown, Raul Aguilera, Solomon Asante (Rodney Michael 73'); Stefano Pinho (Palmer Ault 86'), Manuel Arteaga
IND substitutes: Tim Trilk (GK), Bryam Rebellon, Bryce Warhaft, Luca Iaccino
Charleston Battery (4-2-3-1): Daniel Kuzemka;, Tristen Webber, Preston Kilwein, Brett St. Martin, Matt Sheldon; Andrew Booth, Dominic Oduro (DZ Harmon 66'); Kyle Holcomb (Aidan Apodaca 67'), Romario Piggott (EJ Johnson 57'), Mauro Cichero (Geobel Perez 76'); Augustine Williams
CHS Substitutes: Hugo Fauroux (GK), Shak Adams
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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 4, 2022
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