Indy Eleven Earns 2-1 Comeback Win

August 31, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Indy Eleven News Release

INDIANAPOLIS – Indy Eleven’s disruption of the USL Championship’s top sides continued with a 2-1 comeback win over archrival Louisville City FC tonight at IUPUI Carroll Stadium.

Indy Eleven scoring leader Stefano Pinho ended a nearly three-month scoring drought with a dramatic brace, helping Indiana’s Team capture a second win against a conference leader in five days’ time, following on the heels of Saturday’s 1-0 victory over San Antonio FC that breathed renewed life into its 2022 campaign.

While Indy Eleven (8W-14L-4D, 28 pts.) still sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and 14 points behind Detroit City FC (11-6-9, 42 pts.), its visit to the Motor City on Saturday to finish off “Rivalry Week” could make things much more interesting in the chase for the postseason.

LouCity seemed determined to play up their left flank from the onset, and the strategy paid off just eight minutes in. Defender Amadou Dia’s cross towards the six found a darting Ray Serrano, whose glancing header with pace from the six flashed inside the far right post to move the scoreboard first for the visitors.

The match devolved into a rugged rivalry affair in the ensuing minutes, with the teams combining for 10 fouls and three cautions prior to the half hour mark. It also wasn’t the prettiest goal that tied it up for Indy, but an alert Pinho minded not, as he took advantage of Wes Charpie’s header that didn’t quite make it to LouCity ‘keeper Kyle Morton. After poking it past Morton, Pinho rounded the drawn-out goalkeeper and beat a defender to head into the empty net to bring things back to even at 1-1 in the 28th minute.

The goal gave Indy’s attack some life, as it carried the better of the chances across the final quarter-hour of the half, but chances by Robby Dambrot and Solomon Asante from 15 yards out were both stopped by Morton. Other than stoppages for injuries and more fouls, nothing else was doing the rest of the way, and the sides fought through eight minutes of stoppage before entering the locker rooms even.

The second half began with Indy nearly taking the lead a minute in, but Pinho’s header off a Juan Tejada cross bounced off the left post and right to a relieved Morton. On the other end Enoch Mushagalusa’s cross inside the six found Wilson Harris as he fell to the ground, with Indy fortunate he couldn’t redirect on the doorstep. That was indicative of a much more open start to…