Indy Eleven 2 Minnesota United FC 0

The long-awaited first home win in league play for Indy Eleven came against the unlikeliest of opponents, as the expansion side posted a 2-0 victory over NASL Fall Season and overall leader Minnesota United FC in front of a soldout crowd of 10,285 fans at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
 
The win takes pressure off of the Eleven for that first win at home after going 0-7-5 in their first 12 NASL games at Carroll Stadium. Meanwhile, Minnesota remains clear of San Antonio for top spot in the Fall Season and overall standings, but only by a point and four points, respectively, after the Scorpions’ win over Tampa Bay this evening.

"This is a win that has been a long time coming, and perhaps it was a little overdue in coming this late in the year," said Indy Eleven coach Juergen Sommer. "I thought there were some games we should have won that didn't go our way, but this win was fully deserved by our guys. I couldn't be prouder of the way they fought and stuck together and really put together a full 90 minutes."
 
United got off to a strong start, but it was Indy Eleven that would strike first in the eighth minute.  Eleven striker Charlie Rugg cut toward the Minnesota goal after achieving the right endline and found midfielder Victor Pineda cutting across the box. Pineda took a first-time shot and beat United goalkeeper Matt VanOekel to the near right post give Indy the fast 1-0 lead.
 
Minnesota had several excellent chances to tie the match in the opening 45 minutes, but tremendous goalkeeping by Kristian Nicht of Indy Eleven, particularly with his left foot, kept United scoreless. Indy would carry out its 1-0 lead into the halftime break, giving the squad just its second lead of the year in home 13 games going into the locker room.

It only got better for Indy Eleven in the second half after the checkered-clad side capitalized straight out of the halftime break through forward Jhulliam. Just 30 seconds after the restart, midfielder Don Smart played in a quick cross to the Brazilian striker, who had just entered the match. Jhulliam adjusted his feet and sent a left-footed volley screaming into the roof of the net to double the Indy lead.

United failed to capitalize on chance after chance as the match went on, including defender Cristiano Dias smacking the right post with a blast just after the hour mark.  But it was Nicht rather than the woodwork that was Minnesota’s main nemesis, as the German netminder stopped all eight shots on the Indy Eleven frame and stretched his shutout streak to 217 minutes.  The longest seven minutes of the season for Indy Eleven finally expired after stoppage time ran out, resulting in a “running out” of the Brickyard Battalion onto the field to celebrate a long overdue victory at “The Mike.”