RECAP | Indy 2, Rowdies 2

In a game that had a little bit of everything – a storm delay, goals, cautions, sending offs, and late game drama – Indy Eleven used a goal deep into second-half stoppage time by defender Kyle Hyland to salvage a 2-2 draw from a marathon match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Carroll Stadium.

Following an active start that yielded no dangerous chances, the home side was the first to crack the score sheet in the 21^st minute when forward Brian Brown laid off a ball to midfielder Dylan Mares at the top of the 18. Mares collected the ball and found enough space to curl the ball into the far side-netting and past Tampa Bay ‘keeper Matt Pickens to make the score 1-0.

Mares’ goal not only gave Indy Eleven its first lead since April 25^th against Carolina, but it also snapped a 272-minute goalless drought spanning NASL and U.S. Open Cup play. The goal would be the final action on the field before play was suspended due to lightning near Carroll Stadium, a delay that lasted just over two hours, the match re-starting at 10:05 p.m. local time.

Coming back out of the break strong would be a test that both teams would have to face, and the team that looked more up to that challenge was Tampa Bay. The Rowdies were rewarded for the renewed effort in the 40^th minute when a shot from Indiana University product and local Carmel High School graduate Rich Balchan deflected off Indy defender Cory Miller and into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.

Coming out of halftime, Indy Eleven had its fair share of possession, one spell of which led to a free-kick opportunity drawn by Mares in the 57^th minute. Victor Pineda was called upon to take the 22-yard set piece, and he troubled Pickens with it, sending the 6-foot-3 ‘keeper diving to his left to save the attempt.

Tampa Bay responded with a set piece of their own in the 68^th minute, and they made the most of it. Georgi Hristov tacked on his second assist of the night with a corner kick that found the head of Brazilian Maicon Santos, who nodded it to the far post and past shot-stopper Kristian Nicht to give the Rowdies a 2-1 lead.

Things got chippy in the 72^nd minute when Rowdies substitute attacker Robert Hernandez was whistled for a late foul on Miller. The Eleven center back took offense and came up shoving Hernandez, and while both teams came to the defense of their teammates, it was Santos who charged into the scuffle and was shown a straight red card for the physical contact. Hernandez and Miller were also shown yellow cards for the incident.

Indy’s first clear-cut chance while a man up came in the 84^th minute when an Osman Melgares corner kick found an open Charlie Rugg in front of goal. Rugg put a head on the ball but bounced it straight to Pickens.

Tampa Bay found themselves yet another man down in the 89^th minute when defender Stefan Antonijevic received his second yellow card, making it an 11-v-9 affair for what would be initially seven minutes of stoppage time. With time running out, Indy made the most of its two-man advantage in the 98^th minute with a goal by the IUPUI product, Hyland, who had space to fire a dipping shot from 25 yards out that passed Pickens and hit the underside of the crossbar to bring the wild game to its 2-2 finish.  Another red card was shown to Hristov just off the ensuing kickoff for excessive contact with Indy midfielder Osman Melgares, which did not have an impact on tonight’s finish, but will leave the Rowdies short-handed three players when they host FC Edmonton next Saturday.  Meanwhile, with a three-match losing streak in league play now ended, Indy Eleven will head to South Florida to seek its second win of the Spring Season against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.