Indy Eleven pick up 3 points in home opener despite poor finishing

INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday was the first home game of the season for the Indy Eleven, playing against the Hartford Athletic. Although a rainy day, it wasn’t enough to deter the record-breaking crowd that attended the match. A total of 20,251 tickets were sold for the game, the most in Indy Eleven history. The enthusiastic crowd was seated all around the stadium, a sign of the growing interest in the team.

Indy did not disappoint its fans, securing a 1-0 victory against the visiting Athletic. However, the match did reveal a lot for the team to work on.

Going into the game, there were a couple of changes in the Indy lineup. Players like Alex Grognale and Nico Matern started the game in place of a few regulars. Kenney Walker, who started the previous two games, was out due to appendix removal. Otherwise, the lineup generally stayed the same.

FIRST HALF

In the first half, fans saw a lot of back and forth between the two teams. Dane Kelly led the attack for the Indy offense, only to be pushed back repeatedly. In another play, Neveal Hackshaw made a beautiful run up the left side in an attempt to cross it to his teammate. Other runs and passes up the middle led to some missed opportunities in front of goal. The Indy side seemed unable to finish it to the back of the net.

It wasn’t until just before the half ended that there was a change on the scoreboard. In the 40th minute, Ayoze dribbled up for a cross into the middle for a finish — not by an Indy player. The ball bounced off the chest of Hartford defender Nikolaj Lyngo and into the goal, an unlucky end to the half for the Connecticut-based team, and the second in as many games. In the last match, defender Sam de Wit scored the winning goal for Louisville City FC.

SECOND HALF

Coming back into the game after halftime, the Athletic seemed like they had found their rhythm. They started off strong, forcefully pressing the attack into Indy territory. Indy was taken by surprise and struggled to keep up the first couple of minutes. They soon regained their footing, however, and the half fell back into the same rhythm of the first.

The second half also saw a sharp rise in physicality between the players, a sign of the growing frustration on the field. Both sides were feeling the pressure. Indy was unable to finish, and Hartford was down by one thanks to one of its own. Three yellow cards were handed out in quick succession to Ayoze, Tyler Gibson and Matern on the Indy side, much to the annoyance of Indy fans in attendance.

Subs were brought on late, including Alioune Diakhate, who made his debut in last week’s match against the Charlotte Independence. He subbed in for Kelly in the 90th minute.

“IT’S STILL A WIN”

Although optimism is high for the team, there were still a few criticisms over the night’s performance.

“We definitely could have had a few more,” goalkeeper Evan Newton reflected afterward. “The first half, we had the game by the throat and we were playing well. In the second half, I think we kinda took our foot off the pedal a little bit.”

“We need to be more clinical in front of the goal,” head coach Martin Rennie said.

Kelly too admitted his frustration with the lack of finishes after the game, but remained optimistic.

“I’m a striker, so I’m going to get chances,” he said. “I’m going to score some, I’m going to miss some. Today’s just one of the days that I just couldn’t find the net.”

In the end, Indy still gained three points from the match.

“I believe we’re one of the best teams in the USL,” Rennie said. “And if we’re putting our chances away, then everybody else will think that as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s a win and I’m happy with it.”

Follow Claire on Twitter: @ItsASchmidtThng.

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