Kevin Johnston

Special for IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS – New York Red Bulls II gave the Indy Eleven everything they could handle Wednesday night, but the fortress that is Lucas Oil Stadium remained intact following Indy’s 1-0 win on a late Dane Kelly header.

If any club in the USL Championship was a serious threat to snap the Eleven’s lengthy home unbeaten streak, which dates to July 4, 2018, it was Red Bulls II. Coach John Wolyniec’s side has shown a penchant for racking up points on the road over the years and entered in first place in the Eastern Conference while boasting a 6W-3D-2L mark on the road.

The Red Bulls II midfield was particularly impressive in the match, often attacking with pace and connecting on several dissecting through balls in behind the Indy defense. The NYRB II forwards, however, weren’t quite as sharp. They had numerous quality opportunities at goal, but generally let Indy goalkeeper Evan Newton off the hook by rolling shots wide of frame or directly at him. Newton stayed plenty busy, though he wasn’t tasked with more than a couple of difficult saves.

Tyler Pasher stood out for Indy. The club’s leading scorer this season got in alone on goal a few times but couldn’t sneak one past visiting goalkeeper Evan Louro. Late in the first half, he dribbled through what seemed like half of NYRB II’s roster before firing a left-footed effort just over the crossbar. He continued showcasing his technical ability and pace after the break, but simply couldn’t open the scoring.

“As the game went on, the space – because they press really high – the space was going to be behind a lot,” explained Indy Eleven coach Martin Rennie. “But we knew that Pasher couldn’t keep going behind for 90 minutes, so we felt that with a little bit of time left that Dane would be a threat behind. And that worked out well for us because then it keeps them honest all the time.”

And behind, Kelly indeed got. It didn’t come until the 84th minute, after the visitors had figuratively thrown the kitchen sink at Indy, but the winner finally came. Macauley King, a first-half sub for injured right wingback Lucas Farias, delivered a dangerous ball to the far post that Kelly headed past Louro.

NYRB II continued to threaten – they finished with a whopping 19 shot attempts compared to Indy’s seven – until the final whistle, but Newton and the Eleven defense held sturdy to solidify the win.

What looked to be a bonus for Indy, the unexpected availability of starting defender Neveal Hackshaw, ended up not coming to fruition. A Trinidad and Tobago regular whom suited up for the Concacaf Gold Cup earlier this summer, Hackshaw seemed likely to get called in during the current international break. But complications acquiring a Canadian visa prevented him from joining T&T for its string of upcoming fixtures and he instead remained with his club. Unfortunately for Indy, Hackshaw picked up a knock in Friday’s draw at Louisville City FC and sat in the stands in street clothes Wednesday evening. Rennie confirmed the injury isn’t serious.

“Hackshaw’s fine,” he said. “I think most of the (other injured) guys will be all right. Lucas I’m not totally sure on yet because it looked like a muscle injury.”

Indy will need to get healthy with a jam-packed schedule coming up that includes six more games in September.

The Eleven have only conceded four goals at home all season. On a night in which they got outplayed in their own building for the first time in a while, they’ll surely take keeping the unbeaten streak alive any way they could.