Motivated Indy Eleven fall short in 2nd game of homestand

Kevin Johnston | Special to IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS -- With three home matches over an eight-day period, tired legs were perhaps to be expected from the Indy Eleven, or any team in that situation, no matter how fit.

That actually wasn't the case for the Indy Eleven in the second match of their home stand. The squad delivered a spirited showing Wednesday, but ultimately fell 1-0 to Ottawa Fury FC at Lucas Oil Stadium in front of the 11,025 in attendance.

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"We've got to make sure we finish our chances," said Indy forward Eugene Starikov. "That's what happens when you let in an early goal, and then you're chasing the game. That kind of puts pressure on the whole game itself."

Sporting their camouflage jerseys for Military Appreciation Night, the Eleven came out looking determined early. Even after a flub by center back Carlyle Mitchell conceded an own goal in the 28th minute, Indy confidently continued pressing.

With the game airing on ESPNU, Indy forward Jack McInerney nearly staked his claim for a spot in the "SportsCenter" Top 10. McInerney hit a bicycle kick from close range with near-perfect technique, but it went right at Ottawa goalkeeper Maixme Crepeau for an easy save to preserve the visitors' 1-0 lead.

The hosts only afforded Ottawa one shot before the break — none on target — while getting off several of their own and holding more possession. The second half was more of the same, with Indy mostly controlling play but unable to equalize.

It wasn't all great though for the Eleven; they were quite inefficient with their services into the box. Indy was credited with an impressive 23 crosses, only 13 percent of which were deemed accurate. Occasionally the services were poor, while at other times they landed in potent spots with no one on the end of them.

Indy manager Martin Rennie chalked the loss up to a classic soccer cliché: It's a cruel game.

"We were the better side," he explained. "We barely gave up any chances. We had a lot of chances, a lot of possession, a lot of crosses, a lot of balls in the box, but we weren't able to score. Their goalkeeper made some good saves."

Left midfielder Tyler Pasher returned to the Eleven lineup after dealing with a neck injury. He didn't start, but put in 17 minutes plus stoppage time in a cameo off the bench and looked lively. Soony Saad also entered late after missing a couple of games with a minor knock and made himself dangerous on multiple occasions.

And speaking of guys returning, former Eleven captain Colin Falvey started and went a full 90 for the visitors. Falvey signed with Ottawa this past offseason, the same club he played at before his two-year stint in Indy.

The fifth-place Eleven (7W-4D-5L, 25 points) will conclude their three-game home stand Saturday against the Charlotte Independence, which means the return of Indy's all-time leading scorer Eamon Zayed. The Irish-Libyan striker joined Charlotte a few weeks into the season after having to wait on the approval of his P-1 visa.

Follow Kevin Johnston on Twitter at @KJboxing.