Elliot Panicco’s four saves not enough to stop Rowdies’ early goals in both halves
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Saturday, March 19, 2022) – Indy Eleven fell victim to early goals in each half by the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Florida side’s home opener, leading to a 0-2 defeat at Al Lang Stadium. Despite four saves from goalkeeper Elliot Panicco, Indiana’s Team could not overcome the pair of concessions, a task made tougher when midfielder Raul Aguilera’s second yellow card of the match near the hour mark put the Eleven down a man for the last half hour of the contest.
Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry made four changes to his side’s starting XI following last weekend’s season opener at Loudoun United FC, inserting Karl Ouimette – the first player to earn 100 starts in club history with the placement – and Jared Timmer onto the backline and Aguilera and Jonas Fjeldberg into the midfield. However, no roster shuffling could have prepared the Eleven for a shock of an opener from the Rowdies 35 seconds in, when Juan Tejada sliced through the area to accept Sebastian Guenzatti’s square ball before slamming home from just inside the six to give the home side a dream start. Guenzatti nearly had one of his own in the ninth minute, but Panicco did well to guard his near post from close range to keep the early deficit at 0-1.
After stemming the tide through the remainder of the opening half hour, the Eleven found its first true threat through Aguilera, who took forward Noah Powder’s inch-perfect through ball and slotted a low shot through the six that beat Tampa Bay ‘keeper C.J. Cochran but slipped just inches wide of the far left post. It was Panicco collaborating with his left post to keep Guenzatti off the board once again in the 37th minute, the Indy netminder doing well to get low and tip a clever backheel shot from the doorstep off the woodwork before pouncing on the rebound, allowing the Eleven to stay within arm’s reach going into halftime.
It was another early-half tally for Tampa Bay that doubled the advantage in the 51st minute, with Tejada playing set up man this time around by nodding down Leo Fernandes’ far post cross back across frame for Jake LaCava, who swept home from eight yards to lift the Rowdies up 2-0.
Indy Eleven’s comeback bid got tougher just shy of the hour mark, when Aguilera received his second yellow card for a high boot on a 50-50 challenge that saw Lewis Hilton duck his head into the challenge. After not seeing a player ejected for 39 matches dating back to August 2020, Augilera’s red was the second shown to an Eleven player in as many matches to start the 2022 campaign, following on the heels of Alex McQueen’s 90th minute red card received at Loudoun last weekend.
Despite going down to ten men for the duration, Indiana’s Team found solid chances on goal across the final ten minutes, starting in the 84th when Fjeldberg forced Cochran into his first save of the night with a first time effort from 12 yards out. In the 88th minute, substitute midfielder Justin Ingram’s corner to the back post found Timmer at the six, but the Butler alum’s snap header from the six was snared by Cochran on his line, which marked the last threat for either side.
Indy Eleven (0W-2L-0D, 0 pts.) will end its three-game road trip to start its 2022 regular season next Saturday, March 26, when it kicks off this year’s Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest rivalry series with Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET (live streaming video on ESPN+).
Following that LIPAFC showdown, Indy Eleven will return to the Circle City for its 2022 Home Opener at IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium on Saturday, April 2, against LA Galaxy II. Fans can secure tickets for that 7:30 p.m. kickoff and all 2022 matches at “The Mike” via a plethora of ticketing avenues – including single-game tickets, 2022 Season Ticket Memberships, discounted group tickets for parties of 10 or more, and expanded Premium Hospitality options – by visiting indyeleven.com/tickets or calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours.
USL Championship Regular Season
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 : 0 Indy Eleven
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Al Lang Stadium – St. Petersburg, Fla.
Indy Eleven: 0W-2L-0D, 0 pts.
Tampa Bay Rowdies: 1W-0L-1D, 4 pts.
Scoring Summary:
TBR – Juan Tejada (Sebastian Guenzatti) 1’
TBR – Jake LaCava (Juan Tejada) 51’
Discipline Summary:
TBR – Jordan Scarlett (yellow card) 11’
IND – Raul Aguilera (yellow card) 18’
TBR – Laurence Wyke (yellow card) 39’
TBR – Aaron Guillen (yellow card) 45+2’
IND – Stefan Pinho (yellow card) 53’
IND – Raul Aguilera (2nd yellow card/red card) 59’
TBR – Junior Etou (yellow card) 76’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2): Elliot Panicco; Bryam Rebellon (Aris Briggs 67’), Mechack Jerome, Karl Ouimette, Jared Timmer; Nicky Law (Justin Ingram 74’), Neveal Hackshaw (captain), Jonas Fjeldberg, Raul Aguilera (red card 59’); Stefan Pinho (Sam Brown 74’), Noah Powder
IND substitutions: Tim Trilk (GK), Bryce Warhaft, A.J. Cochran, Palmer Ault
Tampa Bay Rowdies line-up (3-4-3): CJ Cochran; Aaron Guillen, Conner Antley, Jordan Scarlett; Leo Fernandes (Jake Areman 71’), Lewis Hilton, Laurence Wyke (Junior Etou 71’), Sebastian Dalgaard (Dayonn Harris 71’); Jake LaCava (Lucky Mkosana 77’), Sebastian Guenzatti (captain), Juan Tejada (Yann Ekra 67’)
TBR substitutions: Raiko Arozarena (GK), Kyle Grieg