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USL Indy Eleven

PK Goals by Manuel Arteaga & Ayoze Spur Indiana's Team to Spring Opening Win

March 23, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Indy Eleven News Release


Indy Eleven battles Detroit City FC in preseason action
Indy Eleven battles Detroit City FC in preseason action
(Indy Eleven)

WESTFIELD, Ind. - Indy Eleven used penalty kick conversations by forward Manuel Arteaga and midfielder Ayoze on either side of halftime and a closing finish from a guest striker to post a 3-1 victory over Detroit City FC in its preseason exhibition opener at the Grand Park Event Center in Westfield.

"Overall, it was game in. It was a hard game against a team that has had a lot of success in their league," said Indy Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie. "We played quite well. A few things we need to work on, as you would expect just a few days into training, but I was pleased. Everyone seemed healthy from what we could see at the end of the game. It was a good day for us."

As one might expect early in a preseason contest, the opening 15 minutes saw both sides careful to keep the game in front of them. Chances did emerge, however, with the first look of note coming from Arteaga in the eighth minute when he nearly latched on to Rece Buckmaster's long ball out of the right flank, only to see DCFC 'keeper Gabe Rosario beat the Venezuelan newcomer to the cross. In the 13th minute it was former Eleven midfielder Kevin Venegas trying his luck from distance, but Indy goalkeeper Bobby Edwards was on the spot, palming the 30-yard effort over his crossbar for a corner.

Buckmaster earned the Eleven a penalty kick opportunity shortly after the half hour mark, when he was tripped by a DCFC defender after his first touch took him into the area. A minute later it was Arteaga that took the spot kick, which he confidently struck straight down the middle and past a diving Rosario to put Indy Eleven up 1-0.

DCFC's best chance of the half came in the 40th minute, when Bosh Tanyi dispossessed an Eleven defender in his defensive third a whipped in an early cross for Sean Ellis. A slight deflection from Karl Ouimette as the ball crossed through the area threw off Ellis just enough to see him float an open effort from 12 yards over goal. The last meaningful chance of the half came a few minutes later from an Indy guest midfielder, who drug his low shot from just outside the area wide left.

Coach Rennie introduced an entirely new XI to begin the second half, and some good chemistry came quickly just three minutes in when midfielder Nicky Law's give-and-go deep inside the Detroit area with guest striker "Bluejay" was just knicked away and out for a corner.

Minutes later, DCFC midfielder Pablo Cruz was fouled just outside the area to set up a Venegas free kick from 20 yards out. The veteran midfielder's low shot made it through the Indy wall, past outstretched Eleven goalkeeper Jordan Farr, and just inside the left post to even the score at 1-1 in the 51st minute.

On the hour mark, forward Yazeed Edwards looked to put the visitors on top with a dipping effort from 25 yards out that Farr did well to punch away from danger. A minute later Eleven guest player "Wolverine" nearly put the Boys in Blue back up top after he accepted Nick Moon's square ball and danced into the area, only to see his shot from 15 yards blocked. The end-to-end action continued with Farr making two mores saves on Benedek Tanyi and Joel Lagunas around the 65th minute, the first on a 1-v-1 stonewall from 10 yards out.

The 70th minute saw a familiar sight - a well-struck Ayoze corner kick - meet the head of A.J. Cochran, who soared to beat his man at the corner of the six, only to send his shot over the crossbar. Moon was in the middle of the action again in the 76th minute, when his run was chopped short just inside the area to set up another Eleven spot kick, which Ayoze deposited into the upper left corner to give Indy the lead back at 2-1. Ayoze nearly had one from the run of play a few minutes later off Wolverine's layoff into the left side of the area, but the DCFC 'keeper came up with a kick save to keep the visitors' deficit at one.

Ayoze soon after played hero on the defensive end in the 84th minute, the veteran Spaniard racing back to poke the ball off the foot of a Detroit attacker near the six-yard box, setting up a corner that Lagunas crashed the six to get to but flicked wide right. Minutes after guest Bluejay missed a chance high, he would find his way onto the scoresheet via an assist from, who else, Ayoze, accepting his pass to the top of the area and rounding the Detroit netminder before slotting home a near angle finish to close out the scoring 30 seconds into stoppage time.

Today's contest was the first of at least six exhibition contests for Indiana's Team this preseason, with a full schedule of spring friendlies expected to be announced once finalized in the coming days.

2021 Spring Preseason Exhibition

Indy Eleven 3 : 1 Detroit City FC (NISA)

Tuesday - 11:00 a.m. ET

Grand Park Events Center - Westfield, Ind.

Scoring Summary:

IND- Manuel Arteaga (penalty kick) 32'

DCFC - Kevin Venegas (free kick) 51'|

IND - Ayoze (penalty kick) 78'

IND - Guest Player "Bluejay" (Ayoze) 90+1'

Disciplinary Summary:

none

Indy Eleven 1st half lineup (3-4-3, L-->R): Bobby Edwards; *Guest Bulldog. Aidan Liu, Karl Ouimette; *Guest Trojan, Jeremiah Gutjahr, *Guest Duck, Rece Buckmaster; *Guest Bruin, Manuel Arteaga, *Guest Rambler

Indy Eleven 2nd half lineup (3-4-3, L-->R): Jordan Farr; A.J. Cochran, Nedeljko Malic, Jared Timmer; Nick Moon, Aboubacar Sissoko, *Guest Wolverine, Ayoze; Gordon Wild, *Guest Bluejay, Nicky Law

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Indy Eleven battles Detroit City FC in preseason action
Indy Eleven battles Detroit City FC in preseason action
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 23, 2021


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