Kevin Johnston

IndyStar correspondent

After scoring in bunches last year, Indy Eleven forward Eamon Zayed hasn’t had entirely smooth sailing this season.

Zayed started the year in head coach Tim Hankinson’s doghouse, having to come off the bench in the season opener at the San Francisco Deltas. And once Zayed worked his way back into the starting lineup, he failed to produce as he did in 2016 – early on at least.

Now, “Mr. Hat Trick” is back in top form, as evidenced by his two-goal performance Wednesday in Indy’s 2-1 home win over Puerto Rico FC.

“Guys were living with a hangover. Instead of losing in the final (last season) and it lighting a fire, it set up a complacency like we’ve arrived. And I did not feel as though Sinisa (Ubiparipovic) or Eamon and some others gave what they needed to give in the preseason and in the preseason matches to warrant the start. It was more of a ‘get a reaction’ (tactic) because we can’t prepare that unfocused.

“It took a little while for him to understand that, but he’s been pretty good the rest of the way.”

Hankinson threw a new wrinkle into his starting 11. Nemanja Vukovic, regularly a left fullback, shifted up to play as a winger on the left side of Indy’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Jack-of-all-trades Daniel Keller got the nod at left back in Vukovic’s place, while Kwame Watson-Siriboe drew the start at center back next to captain Colin Falvey.

Vukovic eventually swapped flanks with right midfielder Don Smart to give Puerto Rico FC coach Marco Velez a different look to cope with. The move seemed to work, as Indy gained momentum throughout the contest after a sluggish start.

Puerto Rico FC bossed the run of play early, seeing 59 percent of the ball in the first half. The possession edge allowed the visitors to connect on 86 more passes than Indy before the break.

But it was the home side that ultimately broke through first in the 37th minute. Smart and fellow midfielder Ben Speas linked up on what became a broken play, then Zayed tapped the ball in after it somehow trickled through a frozen Puerto Rico defense. Zayed duplicated the feat in the second half when he buried a pass from right back Marco Franco.

Conor Doyle nearly pulled one back for Puerto Rico late, but Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch sprang into action to save the dangerous flicked header. The visiting side finally did score when winger Giuseppe Gentile buried a penalty kick in the 88th minute to trim the lead to 2-1.

But Zayed’s brace ended up being enough as the Eleven clung to victory in the final minutes.

Next, Indy will face the New York Cosmos on just two days rest at home Saturday. The Cosmos, meanwhile, don’t play a midweek match and will have the fresher legs.

Falvey, for one, still thinks the Eleven have a chance to make a playoff push with four of their remaining five matches at home.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Falvey said. “If we do sneak in, none of the other three are going to want to play us.”

HURRICANE MARIA RELIEF

Donations were collected at the match to benefit the Carmelo Anthony Hurricane Relief Fund. Anthony, who’s half Puerto Rican, is the owner of Puerto Rico FC. The effects of Maria have forced the club to play its remaining schedule on the road.