Asante Opens Indy Account, Lewis Makes Seven Saves in Debut
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 23, 2022) – Indy Eleven secured a point for the first time in the month of July via a 1-1 draw against Memphis 901 FC at IUPUI Carroll Stadium. Forward Solomon Asante notched his first goal with the Eleven in the 9th minute of the draw, while goalkeeper Sean Lewis equaled a club season-high with seven saves in his debut for the Boys in Blue.
Indy Eleven remains in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with the result, which snapped a club-record six game losing streak. The Eleven still sits seven points out of playoff position on 22 points, but also still holds two games in hand on both seventh place Miami FC and eighth place FC Tulsa.
After 459 scoreless minutes, the Boys in Blue finally found the back of the net thanks to the goal by Asante that was assisted by midfielder Alex McQueen. The two-time USL Championship Most Valuable Player launched a shot from inside the box while falling backwards, putting his squad on the board for the first time in over a month and giving the Ghanaian a 50th regular season goal in his four seasons of USL Championship play.
While Indiana’s Team finally had the ball bounce its way to start the match, it was a story of bad luck on good opportunities for 901 FC to start the match. In the first half of the opening stanza, Memphis had two shots that went off of the post and one stopped on a miraculous kick save by Lewis, who tied the league mark for most saves in a half this season with six in the first 45 minutes. The visitors also had a goal disallowed due to an offside flag in the 22nd minute.
Just a minute after the disallowed goal for 901 FC, Memphis broke through in the 23rd on a goal from Phillip Goodrum, his Eastern Conference-leading 12th of the season. While it appeared the offside flag could also have been raised on Goodrum’s chance, it indeed stayed down and the goal tied things up at Carroll Stadium.
In a second half with much fewer looks for both sides, the Boys in Blue fought hard on several chances to regain the lead, but could not convert. In the 84th minute, Asante looked to have found a brace and the go-ahead goal, only to see another offside call go against the Boys in Blue. In stoppage time, the Eleven came oh-so close to leaving with three points when Manuel Arteaga found Jared Timmer’s cross with a diving header at the six, but he was denied by former IU goalkeeper Trey Muse, who secured the ball after it briefly became loose, sealing the 1-1 result.
Indy Eleven’s will play the second game of a three-match homestand next Saturday, July 30, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies – the team Indy Eleven swapped influential players with just two days ago. Ex-Rowdies midfielder Juan Tejada went the full 90 minutes in his debut for the Eleven tonight and will look to excel against his former squad, while Indy will see the immediate return of midfielder Nicky Law to “The Mike.”
Tickets for next Saturday’s match – and all future contests at Carroll Stadium – can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets. Fans who cannot make it to “The Mike” can follow the action on WISH-TV, ESPN+, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/exitos943.com, and the @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers.
2022 USL Championship Regular Season – Matchday 20
Indy Eleven 1 : 1 Memphis 901 FC
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Scoring Summary:
IND – Solomon Asante (Alex McQueen) 9’
MEM – Phillip Goodrum (Rece Buckmaster) 23’
Disciplinary Summary:
MEM – Graham Smith (yellow card) 14’
IND – Raul Aguilera (yellow card) 24’
MEM – Luis Fernando (yellow card) 43’
IND – Sam Brown (yellow card) 79’
IND – A.J. Cochran (yellow card) 90’
IND – Neveal Hackshaw (yellow card) 90+1’
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2): Sean Lewis; Ayoze, A.J. Cochran, Mechack Jerome, Jared Timmer; Sam Brown, Raul Aguilera (Neveal Hackshaw 59’), Alex McQueen (Bryam Rebellon 59’), Solomon Asante; Juan Tejada, Stefano Pinho (Manuel Arteaga 13’)
IND substitutes: Tim Trilk, Ecris Revolorio, Diego Sanchez, Rodney Michael
Memphis 901 FC (4-4-2): Trey Muse; Rece Buckmaster, Niall Logue, Graham Smith, Jeremy Kelly; Derek Dodson (Lucas Turci 64’), Leston Paul, Aaron Molloy, Chris Allan; Phillip Goodrum, Luiz Fernando (David Egbo 90+3)
MEM Substitutes: Drew Romig, Zach Carroll, Laurent Kissiedou, Mitchell Myers, Simeon Betapudi
