Kevin Johnston

IndyStar correspondent

Last week, in Indy Eleven’s first loss of the season, captain Greg Janicki had a rough go of it. The veteran defender committed a foul in the 18-yard box that led to a converted penalty, and soon after lost his mark at the far post which put Indy down 2-0.

Janicki completely atoned for the gaffes Saturday night at Carroll Stadium, leading Indy to a 1-0 victory over FC Edmonton with a goal and a clean sheet.

“(I felt) like I let the team down last week,” Janicki said. “It was disappointing. But like coach says, how you respond is what makes a good team and a good player. I just wanted to come out and play well, and just help redeem myself a little bit.”

Gerardo Torrado got his first North American Soccer League start for the home side, stepping into the central midfield beside Brad Ring. Omar Gordon and Dylan Mares manned the left and right wings, respectively. Eamon Zayed and Justin Braun continued their successful pairing up top.

In the back, Jon Busch started in net with Nemanja Vukovic, Janicki, Cory Miller and Marco Franco in front of him.

Indy struck early when Vukovic found a pocket of space and got fouled as he dribbled deep into Edmonton territory. On the ensuing set piece, Mares served in a dangerous bending ball that Janicki headed past Edmonton goalkeeper Matt VanOekel in the 13th minute.

FC Edmonton entered the match having only conceded one goal through three fall games, but its normally suffocating defense was unable to stifle the Eleven for large chunks of the match. And Edmonton’s offense couldn’t produce an equalizer in response to Janicki’s redemptive tally.

“For me, the most important word I have in my life, both as a sportsman and in life in general, is resiliency – the ability to get knocked down and then fight your way back into it,” said Indy coach Tim Hankinson. “(Janicki) did a great job in his personal battles, and the team did a great job in the overall challenge of the night.”

The win moved the Eleven into first place in the NASL fall table, tied with the New York Cosmos at 10 points, but holding an edge on the Cosmos in goal differential.

On the health front for Indy, defender Colin Falvey returned to practice Friday and should be ready for game action in a week or so, per Coach Hankinson. Midfielder Duke Lacroix and defender Neil Shaffer were also unavailable for selection with injuries.

Next up for Indy is a road trip to Miami FC on Saturday, followed by three consecutive home matches on Aug. 3, 6 and 13.