Indy Eleven vs Charleston Battery - 09.12

Summary

- Opponent: Charleston Battery
- Location: Patriots Point
- Attendance: 6,915
- Final Score: 4-3 W

- Starting XI: Meredith, Timmer, Cochran (C), Jerome, Ingram, Brown, Law, Asante, Aguilera, Arteaga, Pinho
- Substitution: Michael 73' (Asante); Ault 86' (Pinho); REvolorio 90'+4' (Law)
- Unused: Trilk, Iaccino, Rebellon, Warhaft 

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Pinho 21' (assist Asante)
IND - Arteaga 25' (unassisted)
IND - Arteaga 28' (assist Pinho)
CHS - Williams 35' (assist Sheldon)
IND - Arteaga 37' (assist Asante)
CHS - Johnson 89' (unassisted)
CHS - Williams 90'+2' (unassisted)

- Bookings:
CHS - Sheldon 19' (Yellow) 
CHS - Weber 43' (Yellow)
IND - Cochran 43' (Yellow)
IND - Brown 45' (Yellow)
CHS - Piggott 45'+2' (Yellow)
CHS - Williams 46' (Yellow)
IND - Arteaga 71' (Yellow)
CHS - Cichero 75' (Yellow)
CHS - Kilwein 90'+4' (Yellow)

- Referee: Chris Ruska
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

First Half Shots

Due to life, I wasn't fully engaged into the game until about the 15 minute mark. Then I couldn't keep up logging all the action in the flurry that was the 1st half. By halftime, there were 5 goals, 5 yellow cards, 14 shots, 11 shots on target, and Indy was a perfect 7 for 7 with shots on target with 4 of those shots going for goals. As I tried to keep up, so too were Charleston as Indy scored 3 goals in 7 minutes between the 21st and 28th minute. In what became an insurance goal, Arteaga scored his third goal of the first half in the 37th minute. 

The commentators indicted that Charleston have had issues this season of giving up multiple goals after conceding the first one. Once Indy broke the seal, they treated it like a bag of Lays potato chips; you can't just have one. When Arteaga finished the first half scoring in the 37th minute, Asante was averaging an assist every 25 minutes. To say he has had an immediate impact for the team is an understatement. Getting Arteaga on the scoresheet is important for his confidence. You could see the relief on his face that he finally saw one (then two, then three) of his shots find its way past an opposing goalkeeper. Arteaga doesn't lack for confidence, but an Arteaga that no longer feels the pressure of getting "the first one," combined with Pinho staying in form, and pinpoint service able to come from Law, Asante, and Ayoze (when he returns) takes this offense up another notch.

By the end of the game, Charleston had clawed back two goals in the dying minutes of the game, as Indy's lack of depth and tired legs caught up with them. With a three goal lead and an upcoming midweek game against Miami FC, it's hard to fault the guys for taking their foot off the gas pedal a bit. Given their offensive output in the first half, it's a little disappointing that Indy only managed 2 shots (neither on target) in the second half, but, again, a three-goal lead will cause a lot of teams to back off if they think they can get away with it. Indy gave up the two late goals, but they did get away with it. It would have been nice to extend the goal differential, but the three points in the month away from Carroll Stadium is more important.

The good news is that Indy were able to see out the win on the road after blitzing Charleston in the first half. If I'm going to nit-pick any other parts of this game (other than the two late conceded goals), it's that Ingram isn't an ideal right back. However, with Ayoze, Briggs, and Fjeldberg out with injuries; Rebellon still recovering from his injury; and Hackshaw, McQueen, and Powder out on international duty, necessity and any kind of significant lack of depth created a situation where Coach Lowry put the best 11 guys on the field that he could. To be fair, Ingram was definitely playing out of position, and played as well as he did through raw talent and motor. Coach Lowry's confidence in playing him in that position is a testament to Ingram's ability.

Work starting on turf change
- Photo credit: Me

While Carroll Stadium undergoes its turf change, Indy remains on the road for the next few weeks. Wednesday, they head to Miami before getting a 10-day break. After that, they'll head west to face Colorado Springs Switchbacks on June 18th and San Diego Loyal on June 25th. After that, Indy finally return home to their new turf to play Miami FC for the second time in the span of about a month. The game tonight and the two games against Miami will go along way to solidifying Indy's position in the Eastern Conference table. 

Indy Eleven will provide more details on the turf renovation this coming week, but a trip by the stadium today showed that work has begun to replace the turf. When I was there today, about half of the turf had been removed, with the notable exception of the IUPUI Jaguar logo in the middle of the field. I haven't been able to find out much about the cost and who is responsible for that cost, but I do know that a company called Mammoth Sports Construction was the group who were taking apart the turf today. Given the consistent complaints of the turf by players and coaches, I'm glad to see the replacement of the turf, particularly since the information regarding the status of Eleven Park has been sucked into a black hole in the front office and nothing gets out. So Indy could be at Carroll Stadium for, at least, a few more years.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

With his three goals tonight, Arteaga moves into a tie with Dylan Mares for fourth place in goals scored, and up to 7th for total points, but also moved into the top 10 in club history for yellow cards. It was a busy night for Manu. Seems obvious, but Arteaga is the easy selection for tonight's Game Beckons Game Ball. Seeing the ball hit the back of the net is only a good thing for Arteaga and Indy.