Dambrot’s Account Opener, Trilk’s Six Saves Help Indy Take Down Championship’s Top Squad
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 27, 2022) – Indy Eleven shrugged off a 12-match winless streak by taking down the USL Championship’s top side, San Antonio FC, 1-0 in front of a season-best crowd of 10,081 at IUPUI Carroll Stadium.
Robby Dambrot’s first goal for the Boys in Blue late in the first half was all Indiana’s Team needed, thanks in part to goalkeeper Tim Trilk’s first clean sheet for the Boys in Blue and a stout defensive effort all across the field.
The match began as a stingy affair, with neither team allowing as much as a shot over the opening ten minutes of action. The lone moment of note from that stretch was an early injury to Eleven defender A.J. Cochran, who had to be replaced after only nine minutes by Jesus Vazquez.
When the shots did start to come, they were from the visitors, but Trilk was on the spot to stop chances from distance that posed little threat through the half hour mark. The Eleven netminder’s best effort of the evening came in the 37th minute, when he reacted quickly to leap backwards and tip Elliot Collier’s header off a corner kick over the crossbar.
Just two minutes later Dambrot put the Boys in Blue in front on a stellar individual effort, which started when he put in a hearty slide tackle to win a 50-50 challenge on Juan Tejada’s ball up the left channel. From there, Dambrot danced into the six and cut back past another defender before deftly chipping past a third defender and goalkeeper Jordan Farr inside the far post, the breathtaking play catching SAFC off guard and putting Indy up front. The Eleven had one more look to double the advantage in first half stoppage time, but Raul Aguilera’s near-angle effort was turned away by Farr, who made his Indy homecoming after spending the last four seasons in the Circle City.
The second half was a more ragged affair, with substitutions and injury stoppages regularly slowing down the play. Samuel Adeniran’s 62nd minute blast that forced another save out of Trilk brought the stanza to life, and just 45 seconds later Indy midfielder Bryam Rebellon had a go from distance himself, missing the left post by a hair. Adeniran’s deflected effort in the 71st minute that bounced harmlessly to Trilk was really the last threatening look for San Antonio, as Indy Eleven expertly saw out the rest of regulation and an agonizing 10 minutes of added time to claim the win.
The victory was the Eleven’s first since a 4-3 triumph at Charleston Battery on June 4, snapping a 12-game winless streak that was the longest in its USL Championship tenure and tied for the longest in club history. The triumph also marked Indy’s first win at home since May 21 against New York Red Bulls II (2-0), breaking a six-game winless run at Carroll Stadium (0-5-1) that came on the heels of an eight-game home undefeated streak.
After taking down the Western Conference leader tonight, Indy Eleven gets another hack at a USL Championship Goliath this Wednesday, August 31, when it welcomes its archrival and the current Eastern Conference top squad, Louisville City FC, to “The Mike” for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff, presented by Pro X Athlete Development. The lone 2022 installment of the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest in the Circle City will mark “College Night”, details for which can be found at indyeleven.com/promotions, and tickets for which can be found at indyeleven.com/tickets, starting for $15. Fans who can’t make it to “The Mike” can follow the action on MyINDY-TV 23, ESPN+, Exitos Radio 94.3 / exitos943.com, and the @IndyElevenLive Twitter Feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers.
2022 USL Championship Regular Season – Matchday 22
Indy Eleven 1 : 0 San Antonio FC
Saturday, August 27, 2022
IUPUI Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Scoring Summary:
IND – Robby Dambrot (Juan Tejada) 40’
Disciplinary Summary:
IND – Juan Tejada (yellow card) 14’
IND – Sam Brown (yellow card) 50+’
SA – Jasser Khmiri (yellow card) 79’
SA – Mohammed Abu (yellow card) 86’
IND – Tim Trilk (yellow card) 98+’
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2): Tim Trilk; Robby Dambrot (Justin Ingram 73’), A.J. Cochran (Jesus Vazquez 9’), Mechack Jerome, Alex McQueen; Neveal Hackshaw (captain), Sam Brown, Raul Aguilera (Stefano Pinho 73’), Bryam Rebellon (Jared Timmer 94+’); Juan Tejada (Rodney Michael 89’), Solomon Asante
IND substitutes: Sean Lewis (GK), Wilfredo Rivera
San Antonio FC (3-4-1-2): Jordan Farr; Mitch Taintor, Jasser Khmiri, Jordy Delem (Shannon Gomez 45), Elliot Collier (Samuel Adeniran 53’); Connor Maloney, Mohammed Abu, PC (Nicky Hernandez 91+’), Christian Parano (Deshane Beckford 76’); Justin Dhillon (Ignacio Ballone 64’), Santiago Patino
SA Substitutes: Grant Makela (GK), Ates Diouf
