Indy Eleven gets season's first win after Justin Braun's return

Kevin Johnston | IndyStar

Winless and mired at the bottom of the North American Soccer League table, the Indy Eleven desperately needed a spark. They got one Saturday night courtesy of their fittest player, forward Justin Braun.

Braun, once called “Steve Prefontaine but 6-3” by ex-teammate Neil Shaffer, returned to the Eleven lineup and helped ignite his team’s recently stagnant offense en route to a 2-0 win over North Carolina FC. The victory was Indy’s first of the season.

Truth be told, it wasn’t Braun’s crispest performance ever; the 30-year-old displayed some rust after missing a few games with a calf strain.

Braun got caught offside at least once, mistimed a header and flubbed a golden opportunity when he got in behind the defense and pushed a shot wide from the edge of the six-yard box. But his penchant for making big plays this season surfaced in the 60th minute and made up the difference.

The North Carolina defense botched a clearance, sending the ball flying backward toward its own goal line. Unfortunately for the visitors, the second attempted clearance struck Braun in the torso and deflected into the net to put Indy up 1-0.

Left midfielder Ben Speas later added to the Eleven’s lead when he calmly finished a service from ex-Butler forward David Goldsmith. The assist was Goldsmith’s first point as a professional.

Early on, the teams jockeyed for control of the midfield. The game opened up slightly near the end of the first half, but remained mostly a tactical game of cat and mouse.

"I felt there were times in the match it was like a chess game going on,” said Eleven coach Tim Hankinson. “It was like ‘one move, one move.’ Nobody really going for the queen.”

North Carolina FC’s talented midfield, which boasts crafty playmakers like Lance Laing, Nazmi Albadawi and Austin Da Luz, put sporadic pressure on Indy’s back four. Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch was called upon to make a couple impressive saves, but did so each time to preserve the clean sheet.

Offensively, Indy winger Don Smart and fullback Marco Franco worked well together attacking up the right flank. Smart, who also recently returned from an injury spell, was a constant threat to the North Carolina defense.

“Don’s huge for us,” Braun said. “He’s one of those true wingers that likes to go at people and take people on. And obviously he delivers a great ball.”

The win bumped Indy up two spots from last place to sixth in the eight-team NASL. North Carolina FC is in fifth, but still five points clear of Indy. The two clubs will rematch next weekend at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

“We’ve got to take what we did well and how we broke them down and carry that into next week,” Braun added. “It’s definitely going to be a fight again.”