May 18, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release
Hartford Athletic stumbled on the road, falling 4-1 to a red-hot Indy Eleven team who are now unbeaten in seven straight matches across all competitions.
Indy started the scoring early, capitalizing on a penalty in the second minute. Defender Thomas Vancaeyezeele was called for a handball in the box and Indy’s Jack Blake converted the penalty to give Indy the early lead.
Battling from behind, Hartford fought for possession throughout the first half. They had multiple opportunities before the 40th minute, the most notable being a free kick sent just over the crossbar by Jay Chapman. Goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro kept the game close, showing flashes of athleticism on multiple saves and punchouts.
Past the 40th minute, Indy hit their stride. With multiple shots taken headed into extra time, they finally found gold in an offensive flurry. Indy was granted a corner kick on the right side, sent inside the box right in front of the net. An Indy player sent a header into the crossbar, which rebounded directly to Indy defenseman Benjamin Ofeimu for a tap-in goal. The halftime whistle blew and the home side had a two-goal lead.
The second half saw Hartford score their first goal of the match, but only after Indy had two more goals on the board. The game quickly went out of reach in the 54th minute from a perfect Aeden Stanley pass on the left side into the box between two defenders. Douglas Martinez took advantage and sent it through to extend the lead to three.
Just four minutes later, Augi Williams found free space coming up on Hartford’s box, and with no pressure, sent the shot through. Hartford managed to minimize the damage on a Michee Ngalina goal in the 80th assisted by Marcus Epps.
Hartford have a quick turnaround as they return home for a special Friday night matchup with Monterey Bay FC. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM and it’s $2 Beer, $1 Hot Dog night. Tickets are available at hartfordathletic.com/tickets.
FAST STATS
Shots (On-Target): Hartford 10(4) Indy 18(12)
Corners: Hartford 6 Indy 12
Fouls: Hartford 12 Indy 13
Offsides: Hartford 3 Indy 1
Possession: Hartford 48.7% Indy 51.3%
Passing Accuracy: Hartford 71.6% Indy 72.8%
Saves: Hartford 9 Indy 3
SCORING SUMMARY:
Indy 3′ – Blake (penalty)
Indy 45+3′ – Ofeimu
Indy 54′ – Martinez (Stanley)
Indy 58′ – Williams (Boudadi)
Hartford 80′ – Ngalina (Epps)
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY:
Hartford:
82′ – Vancaeyezeele (Yellow)
90′ – Hartford Bench (Red)
Indy:
11′ -…