Indy Eleven leap for joy over stoppage-time victory

Green Bay Packers fans have the “Lambeau Leap” to celebrate touchdowns. Now, Indy Eleven fans have their own version: the “Brickyard Battalion Leap,” courtesy of forward Eamon Zayed.

Zayed’s stoppage-time finish provided all the separation Indy needed Wednesday night at Carroll Stadium in the team’s 1-0 victory over North Carolina FC. After the goal, the Irish-Libyan striker immediately jumped into the Brickyard Battalion supporters’ section at the west end of the stadium. The move was premeditated.

“I wanted to do it all season,” Zayed said. “I’ve been waiting for that moment for a long time. I wanted it to be a game winner.”

It was.

The win moved Indy to within five points of a North American Soccer League playoff spot. The club also has a game in hand on most teams after Saturday’s match at Jacksonville Armada FC was postponed by Hurricane Irma.

Indy received a huge boost late in the first half in the form of a North Carolina red card. Head referee Geoff Gamble sent off midfielder James Marcelin for violent conduct after a blow to the face of Indy midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic.

To compensate, North Carolina’s defense played more compact to limit space in the middle. Indy tried to funnel the ball out wide to attack from the outside in.

“When you go up a man, it’s harder for a team playing a man down to cover the width of the field,” Eleven coach Tim Hankinson explained. “So we went to a wingers game in the second half.”

Left-sided attacker Ben Speas played effectively, darting into the box numerous times to create opportunities. But North Carolina’s back line mostly held firm.

Paulo Jr., who joined the club less than a week ago, made his Eleven debut in the starting lineup on the right wing in Hankinson’s 4-2-3-1 formation. He dished out an impressive 32-of-38 accurate passes to go with his 63 total touches.

On the injury front, Justin Braun confirmed he’s out for the remainder of the season Wednesday via Twitter after having surgery to fix ligament damage in his ankle. Right midfielder Don Smart, meanwhile, returned from an injury to make a late cameo as a substitute and quickly made an impact.

After playing the ball around a North Carolina player and running onto it in the open field, Smart dribbled all the way from the defensive third to the attacking third. The Eleven lost possession, but immediately won it back, nearly scoring a late goal on David Goldsmith’s shot that required a diving save by visiting goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre.

Gerardo Torrado put in a feisty shift for Indy, often disrupting the North Carolina midfield while cleanly distributing to spark the attack. He also picked up a yellow card and will have to sit out the next match for card accumulation. That’s not ideal given Indy’s injuries.

Next up for Indy is a trip to play FC Edmonton on Sunday.