PREVIEW | Armada FC Seeks First Road Win In Indy

Still in the thick of the North American Soccer League postseason race, Jacksonville Armada FC will try to get the road-match monkey of its back at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday when it heads to Indianapolis to take on Indy Eleven.

The Armada FC, who have not yet won a match on the road in 2015 in 10 tries (two draws, eight losses), are coming off a scoreless draw with the San Antonio Scorpions last Saturday at Community First Park. Despite four shots on goal from forward Jemal Johnson and a 55-45 percent possession advantage, the Armada FC were not able to break through a stingy San Antonio defense. Armada FC goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo notched three saves and recorded his 40^th career clean sheet.

Indy Eleven is coming off losses to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (7-1) and Minnesota United FC (1-0). The Eleven’s most recent contest was on Wednesday night at United, which was a stalemate for much of the match until Minnesota defender Justin Davis’ perfect volley in the 77^th minute gave the Loons all they needed to down Indy. The outcome, however, was much more positive than Indy’s game with the Strikers last Saturday in which the Eleven encountered their worst loss in club history. Indy forward Dane Richards scored the team’s lone goal in the loss.

Jacksonville came out on top of the previous meeting against Indy, 1-0, on May 9 in Jacksonville on a header from Bochy Hoyos in the 49^th minute, with the assist from Matt Bahner. The Armada FC played some of their best defense of the season and held strong during a 10-minute plus stretch in the first half when striker Alhassane Keita went down with a head injury and head coach Guillermo Hoyos elected to tough it out with 10 men. His patience was rewarded as Keita eventually made his return. It was the first shutout win in Armada FC history.

With 10 games left to go in the Fall Season, both teams are still within striking distance of a postseason spot in the Combined Standings. The Armada FC are just four points back of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, which have 27 points each. The Eleven sit five points behind both teams.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jacksonville: Defender Fabricio Ortiz, who was named to NASL Team of the Week on Wednesday, has been an anchor on the back line this season for the Armada FC with his signature sliding tackles that have put a stop to many opposing attacks. Typically set as a right center back, Ortiz has logged 1,600 minutes in 18 starts. The 25-year-old native of Casilda, Argentina, also earned a Team of the Week nod on August 19 after the Armada FC’s 1-0 over the Atlanta Silverbacks.

Indy: Richards has scored three goals in his last four games. Erick Norales, who also has three goals, has marshalled the back line to corral opposing team attacks all season long.

NOTABLES

• In keeping with the team’s philosophy of rotating its top two goalkeepers every two games, David Sierra is expected to start on Saturday in Indianapolis. Sierra has a streak of three-straight shutouts dating back to July 18 when the Armada FC took down the New York Cosmos 1-0 in Jacksonville. In that stretch, the Armada FC won all three games, and Sierra had a total of 12 saves.
   
• In addition to not having won on the road yet, Jacksonville has only led in an away match just once this season. The Armada FC took a 2-1 lead into halftime on April 25 at Tampa Bay before a strong second half surge by the Rowdies took the Armada FC down 2-1.