RECAP | Indy 2, Scorpions 1
What looked like a third straight 1-1 draw to start Indy Eleven’s season turned into the squad’s first win in dramatic fashion, as midfielder Sergio Peña’s 45-yard effort with a minute left in regulation gave Indiana’s Team a 2-1 road victory against the defending NASL Champions, the San Antonio Scorpions.
The victory extended Indy Eleven’s (1W-2D-0L, five points) undefeated streak spanning the 2014-15 seasons to eight games (4W-4D-0L), and gave the squad its first victory of the 2015 Spring Season. It also vaulted the Boys in Blue into second place in the NASL standings after three weeks, tied on five points with Atlanta and placing them two points behind the front-running New York Cosmos.
The match started with a rough and tumble first half that saw Indy Eleven come out brightly in the first 15 minutes before ceding more and more ground to the Scorpions in midfield. However, Indy Eleven made it tough sledding once San Antonio (0W-0D-2L, 0 points) hit the attacking third, keeping its shape well and chances hard to come by for the defending champs.
The Scorpions would see the best opportunity for a goal in the first half go by the wayside in the 40th minute, when Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht saved Billy Forbes’ initial shot from the edge of the area, followed by captain Greg Janicki dashing the hopes of his former squad with a goal-mouth clearance on the subsequent rebound.
San Antonio would go up via an Indy Eleven defensive error in the 52nd minute, when Scorpions forward Cesar Elizondo stole a pass in midfield and stepped through multiple defenders before slotting to Omar Cummings. The speedy Jamaican striker had plenty of space to finish low and to the right of Nicht to put the home side up 1-0 and notch his second goal in as many games to begin his NASL tenure.
However, Indy Eleven would not be down for long, as defender Erick Norales made his presence felt on the offensive end in the 64th minute. The Honduran showed his value offensively early last season on set pieces, and he did so again tonight by connecting on Dylan Mares’ corner kick, nodding home at the far post to even things at 1-1 and set up a thrilling finish in the Alamo City.
After sitting back much of the night, Indy seemed energized by the goal and pressed the action for much of the final 20 minutes of the game. However, it was an unexpected stab by Peña that would give the visitors the full three points in the 89th minute, set up by substitute Wojciech Wojcik’s chested-down, laid-off ball well away from goal. Peña – who has been known to take his chances from distance in the past – turned the mundane into the sublime, his audacious effort from ten yards inside midfield looped over Scorpions goalkeeper Jon Kempin, and the Sporting Kansas City loanee was helpless to swat at the shot that snuck under the crossbar and gave Indy the eventual, 2-1, win. The win was also ts first in 12 Spring Season games all-time.
Now in second place thanks to the away goals tiebreaker over the Atlanta Silverbacks, Indy Eleven continues its Spring Season slate next Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m., when it welcomes the fourth-place Carolina RailHawks (1W-1D-1L, four points). The Scorpions head on the road for the first time to visit Minnesota United at NSC Stadium with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
