RECAP | Indy 3, Armada FC 0

Riding the strength of its offense, Indy Eleven secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Jacksonville Armada FC in front of 9,078 fans at Carroll Stadium.

Eleven forward Zach Steinberger paced the home side with his first two goals of the year - both set up by midfielder Don Smart - while Marvin Ceballos came off the bench to punctuate an offensive outburst that overwhelmed the visiting Armada FC.

Steinberger punched home an early strike for Indy just nine minutes into the contest, marking his first goal in an Eleven uniform after joining on loan from MLS's Houston Dynamo in late July and setting the tone for an impressive display of counterattacking soccer.  Racing through the middle of the field and getting behind the defense, Steinberger started the play in an offside position but was rescued by a hustling Smart, who himself was sprung by a long through ball from midfield by forward Dane Richards. Smart's final ball put Steinberger past Armada FC goalkeeper David Sierra and allowed him to finish into an empty net.

Indy continued to create chances despite losing Richards and defender Kyle Hyland for precious minutes due to injuries – Richards absorbing heavy contact on a 50-50 challenge in midfield and Hyland catching an inadvertent elbow to the nose while tussling for a ball with Jacksonville's Akeil Barrett. Both players returned to the match and would contribute to numerous Eleven attacks as the first half wound down.

Richards slipped past the Jacksonville back line to create two quality chances in stoppage time, but saw his first blast from the left side of the area blocked by an Armada FC defender, while his follow up attempt was stopped by Sierra. Indy Eleven midfielder Victor Pineda continued the stoppage time barrage for the Eleven, sending a winding chip over the Armada FC goalkeeper but wide of the net.

Returning from the locker room leading 1-0, Indy Eleven continued bypassing Jacksonville's back line with ease and attempted to catch Sierra off his line multiple times. Pacing the Eleven with five shots on goal during the game, Richards slashed past the Armada FC defense and deposited the ball in the back of the net during the 63rd minute of play, but was ruled offside.

The Eleven, however, would fill the score sheet shortly after as Steinberger chipped his second goal of the game over Sierra and followed his shot into the net while a pair of Armada FC defenders crashed down on him. The brilliant set of touches gave Indy a 2-0 lead, and was also set up by a through pass by Smart, who registered his first two assists of the season on the Steinberger brace.

Capping off an explosive night for the Eleven’s offense was midfielder Marvin Ceballos, who opened his scoring account for Indy with an extra time rocket off his right foot that gave Sierra no chance as it caught the left upper 90 of goal.  The offensive outburst equaled Indy Eleven's season-high in the scoring column and the team's largest margin of victory, both set during a 3-0 win over FC Edmonton on June 13 at Carroll Stadium.

In net, starting goalkeeper Keith Cardona was stout, snuffing out all three Jacksonville shots on target to collect his first professional win and clean sheet in his fifth start for Indy - and second placement in the starting lineup this week. His best stop on the evening was a highlight reel save against Armada FC midfielder Marcos Flores in the 52nd minute, when he steered the Jacksonville captain's shot destined for the left post around for a corner with a leaping save.