Despite earning a higher xG, taking more shots, placing more attempts on goal and firing off more crosses than their opponent, Hartford Athletic fell 2-0 to Indy Eleven at home on Wednesday night.
Kyle Edwards was relentless in his attack on goal, leading the team with seven shots. One dangerous opportunity came in the 31st minute. Baboucarr Njie received the ball on the wing and played it into Samuel Carega about 30 yards out. The Argentinian midfielder slotted the ball in behind the defense for Edwards to run onto. He tried to get a shot off but Indy defenders crashed towards him and goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook shut down any shooting angle, forcing his shot wide.
A minute later Edwards had another dangerous look at goal when he received the ball on the half-turn and fired off a powerful long-range shot.
Going into the locker rooms for halftime, the Boys in Green led Indy Eleven in expected goals (0.47 to 0.07), shots (7 to 3) and crosses (11 to 4), but were down a goal on the scoreboard after a third minute Jack Blake goal.
Head Coach Brendan Burke’s side came into the second half swinging, testing the recently subbed in goalkeeper Hunter Sulte, firing off fourteen shots with six on target.
One of Hartford’s best opportunities came in the 55th minute from Careaga. He got the ball from Joe Farrell and played a ball into Junior Moreira, splitting several lines of defense. Moreira controlled the ball with a cheeky behind-the-leg touch, teeing it up for Careaga to run onto and fire off a left-footed shot. Sulte made a diving save to keep the home team off the scoreboard.
As the Boys in Green kept pressing high in search of a goal, Indy’s Maalique Foster slipped in behind to make the score 2-0.
Hartford kept hammering at the Indy defense, but there appeared to be a force field around the visiting team’s goal. Athletic ended the match with 20 shots, eight shots on target, 63.6% possession, 32 crosses and 12 corners.
The Green & Blue are back at home next Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available here.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | INDY ELEVEN | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 20 | 5 |
| Shots On Target | 8 | 3 |
| Corners | 12 | 1 |
| Fouls | 8 | 14 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 63.6% | 36.4% |
| Passing Accuracy | 81.3% | 70.0% |
| Saves | 1 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | INDY ELEVEN |
|---|---|
| 3′ – Jack Blake | |
| 76′ – Maalique Foster (Romario Williams) |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | INDY ELEVEN |
|---|---|
| 65′ – Antony Siaha (Yellow) | 77′ – Romario Williams (Yellow) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | INDY ELEVEN |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 23 (GK) Reese Charles Cook |
| 15 (MF) Joe Farrell | 2 (DF) Josh O’Brien |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 30 (DF) Ben Ofeimu |
| 5 (DF) Baboucarr Njie | 41 (DF) James Musa |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 5 (MF) James Murphy |
| 30 (DF) Adrián Diz Pe | 6 (MF) Cam Lindley |
| 8 (MF) Junior Moreira | 8 (MF) Jack Blake |
| 10 (MF) Samuel Careaga | 14 (MF) Aodhan Quinn |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston | 9 (FW) Romario Williams |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 22 (FW) Elvis Amoh |
| 71 (FW) Kyle Edwards | 99 (FW) Maalique Foster |
