RECAP | Indy 3, Eddies 0

Indy Eleven closed out the Spring Season with the most dominating performance in club history on Saturday night at Carroll Stadium, as it captured a thorough 3-0 victory over FC Edmonton on goals from Brian Brown, Dylan Mares, and Duke Lacroix.

From the get-go, the Boys in Blue looked the team more determined to ‘go out with a bang’ in the Spring Season, notching relentless attack after relentless attack into the Edmonton defensive third. Indy Eleven captain Erick Norales was the first to leave the crowd holding their breath in the 8^thminute when his header off a well-swung Dylan Mares cross deflected off the crossbar and out of bounds to quell the chance.

The post continued to treat the home side unkindly when reigning NASL Player of the Week Victor Pineda snuck in behind the Edmonton defense and had a shot on goal that hit the far left post and bounced out of play in the 18^th minute.

Indy did not seem phased by the bad luck early on in the match, as they continued to attack before finally having a shot reach the back of the net in the 39^th minute when Brian Brown scored his first since April 11^th—a 1-1 draw with the Cosmos—on a shot from distance. Brown gathered a pass from midfielder Dylan Mares and fired a low, driving ball from 25 yards out past Edmonton netminder Jon Smits to not only give his team the 1-0 lead. The assist was the fourth for Mares, putting him one back of league leader Georgi Hristov (Tampa Bay).

Mares would finish an attempt of his own just moments later in the 44^th minute as he stepped to the spot for a penalty conversion following Smits' takedown of Brad Ring in front of goal. Mares looked poised and under control as he stepped to the spot and placed the ball into the lower left corner to put Indy up 2-0, the score that would hold until the halftime break.

Chances proved to be few-and-far-between in the second half, Indy seeming content to continue its dominance in possession and Edmonton still unable to attack with much effectiveness. As time went on, the Eddies’ frustration became evident, boiling over in the 67^th minute when substitute Christian Raudales saw a straight red card for a high elbow to the face of Indy Eleven defender Marco Franco.

Using their one-man advantage, Indy Eleven would tack on one more goal to its lead in the 82^ndminute. Striker Charlie Rugg got his first assist of the season when he placed a through ball beautifully onto the foot of rookie Duke Lacroix, who finished past Matt VanOekel – Edmonton’s second-string ‘keeper – to earn his first professional goal and bring the game to its eventual 3-0 finish.  The result gave the Boys in Blue their first shutout and home win of the 2015 season, the back-to-back wins allowing Indy to end the Spring on a high note, while FC Edmonton went winless in its final three matches to close out the league’s 10-game sprint at the start of the year.