RECAP | Strikers 7, Indy 1

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers routed Indy Eleven, 7-1, in a record-scoring game for the club on Saturday night at Lockhart Stadium. The game began with a sideways rain shower, but heavy rain held off until minutes after the final whistle. 

With Brazilian soccer icon and the club’s part-owner Ronaldo looking on, a shower of goals resulted in the most prolific scoring output for the Strikers in the NASL Modern Era. Ronaldo’s compatriot Stefano Pinho scored three goals, while fellow countrymen Marlon Freitas and PC tallied two apiece to give the Strikers their third win in a row. The Red & Gold’s victory extended the team’s streak to four unbeaten.

“When you have Brazilian players, you have to let them play freely,” head coach Günter Krontsteiner said. “I told them, play freely up front. We saw that pay off in the second half tonight.”

The output is the club’s highest in league action, topping a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks on October 19, 2013.

The goal festival started almost right away as Pinho, the reigning NASL Player of the Week, scored a beauty of a goal 68 seconds into the game. The Brazilian striker beat Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht with an acrobatic scissor kick after an initial shot by Freitas was stopped.

It only took five more minutes for the Strikers’ second goal as PC converted a penalty kick that he earned after he was pulled down in the box by Indy captain Brad Ring.

The Indy Eleven pulled one back thanks to their in-form goalscorer, Dane Richards, who notched his third goal since joining the squad in July. The strike came in the 16th minute following a Fort Lauderdale defensive turnover.

Indy’s momentum was quelled when Freitas collected his first goal on the night by dribbling into a middle open area before finishing with a hard shot to the far post that froze Nicht.

Down 3-1 at the break, things got worse for Indy Eleven when defender Marco Franco was ejected from the match in the 50th minute.

The Strikers did not let up. Freitas picked up his second of the night in the 67th minute, again with a shot from distance after receiving a spot-on pass from Hendry Thomas.

Pinhp put his name on the scoresheet again while etching his name in the Strikers’ record book with his second tally in the 77th minute. He drilled a left-footed shot to the far post giving Nicht no chance to make a save. The goal was the club’s 200th since the team resumed play in 2011.

Just four minutes later, Pinho notched his hat trick with his league-leading 12th goal of the season. Freitas showed he is a team player when he elected to pass to Pinho for an empty netter rather than attempt to score his third goal of the game after being one-on-one with the keeper.

PC capped the scoring with a header in the 85th minute on a cross from Pinho.

In a dominant performance, Fort Lauderdale maintained 65 percent possession of the ball and tallied 16 shots, nine on goal, while limiting Indy Eleven to just one.