Eleven Falls to Riverhounds – OurSports Central

August 6, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Indy Eleven News Release

INDIANAPOLIS – Indy Eleven continued to see hard luck at home, dropping a 2-0 result to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in front of an announced crowd of 9,039 at IUPUI Carroll Stadium.

Indy Eleven captain Ayoze made a bit of history at the opening whistle for Indiana’s Team, as he tied “Eleven Original” midfielder Brad Ring for the club’s all-time lead in appearances at 115 “caps” since his debut with the squad in 2018.

A guarded start to the match broke in the 13th minute when the Riverhounds struck first. Daniel Rovira began the play with a lengthy run through the final third before his cross to the six was finished with a diving header by Russell Cicerone to move the scoreboard early for the visitors. Manuel Arteaga almost equalized just five minutes later when his own run to the six was picked out by Juan Tejada’s low cross, but the Venezuelan couldn’t get his feet right and sent the chance over frame.

It took another 20 minutes for another serious threat on goal, but Cicerone’s smack from 20 yards was parried over with two strong hands by Indy goalkeeper Sean Lewis. The last big look of the half came in the 41st minute when Ayoze’s ball over the top found Tejada in the left side of the area, but his shot was pushed wide of the far post, keeping the Riverhounds up heading into the halftime break.

It was Cicerone again doing the damage for Pittsburgh seven minutes into the second half, as his run through the center of the area was rewarded by Albert Dikwa’s cross to the six. The visitors’ excitement for Cicerone’s 52nd minute tap-in finish was tempered two minutes later, as Riverhounds midfielder Marc Ybarra dragged down Eleven forward Solomon Asante by his shirt to earn a second caution, resulting in the first red card issued to an Indy opponent in 2022.

Indy pushed to take advantage of the 11-v-10 situation, but it was Lewis having to come up big first at the hour mark, coming right across his frame to get a paw on Rivira’s heavy shot from 10 yards to send it off the woodwork. Indy found its best chance in the short term through midfielder Neveal Hackshaw’s 25-yards blast that sailed just over the bar in the 65th minute.

A slew of set pieces were the most the Boys in Blue could muster across the next 20 minutes, but nothing tested Riverhounds ‘keeper Jahmali Waite, who patrolled his area well on the series of crosses. A pair of Eleven substitutes looked to get one back…