The fans can all finally let out a sigh of relief that Orange County SC has finally picked up three points, even better, they earned the win at home while hosting Indy Eleven this past Saturday, April 15th.
FIRST HALF
Thomas Amang made his starting lineup debut this Saturday and kicked things into gear right after the whistle was blown to start the match. Within the first minute, Orange County was able to attack fast. Thanks to a pass from Bryce Jamison, Amang took the first shot of the night; unfortunately, the shot went high, but an offensive push to begin the fight is something everyone would like to see more as the season progresses.
Indy Eleven was quick to push back and made a solid pass forward looking for a run on the right side. Cody Cropper wasn't having any of it as he came out of his box for an aggressive clearance, stopping the opposition’s attempt right in their tracks. Cropper would continue having complete control of the box all game, clearly eager for the first clean sheet of the year.
Early on, the offensive strategy from OCSC seemed consistent with previous matches as the team tried getting the ball to Milan with long passes, but the Indy midfield was prepared and kept heavy pressure on the 2022 Golden Boot winner with some strategic fouls, banking on the lackluster efforts Orange County have had off set pieces from far out.
Both defensively and offensively Ryan Doghman was decisive throughout the first half. In the 18th minute, after a strong tackle, he pushed forward and made an impressive run to beat two Indy players on the wing; he got into a great crossing position, but it was cleared out by Indy goalkeeper Yannik Oettl.
The opposition kept their attacks persistent by keeping most of the possession for the half. They clearly watched OCSC’s previous games as all their attempts came from crosses into the middle. Luckily, the center-backs seem to have been working on those situations. Andrew Fox and Markus Nakkim were crucial in stopping the Indy offense from turning any of those crosses into shots on goal.
Everything changed around the 29th minute of the match when a quick give-and-go between Kyle Scott and Jamison allowed the latter to break through into the box, but his momentum was tripped up by Aodhan Quinn with a foul from behind. Milan stepped up to take the penalty and gave OCSC a 1-0 lead. This was Milan’s 25th league goal with Orange County SC, breaking the club's all-time scoring record.
Minutes later, Villanueva had a terrific opportunity to widen the lead after some chaos near the goal pushed the ball to his feet. He took an impressive shot, but his speed put him off balance and it went right over the crossbar.
SECOND HALF
Indy came into the second half hungry for an equalizer with some great offensive pressure pushing into the box a handful of times. They started to capitalize on the 61% of possession they had in the first half, which led to Jack Blake receiving the ball outside the 18-yard line. He made a stellar strike on goal, but Cropper made a diving save to keep Orange County ahead.
They kept the pressure on and, after a messy moment in Orange County’s box, Jamison went for a late tackle on Quinn. He received a yellow card for the foul and set up Indy Eleven with a dangerous free-kick position.
The set piece was cleared out by OCSC’s strong defense in the middle and opened them up to make a counterattack. Milan got the ball and, in a refreshing moment from the striker, he was patient and ended up switching the ball to find Brent Richards on the other side. With a great chip from him into the box, Villanueva sent it toward the net with a header, but Oettl made a brilliant save and punched the ball out for a corner kick. Ashish Chattha took a volley from the corner, but the shot went wide.
Cropper played the best game of his time so far with Orange County, being aggressive with his clearances and preventing most of Indy’s crosses from getting too close to goal. Between him, Nakkim, and Fox, the defense stood out as a huge improvement from previous games this season. Yet, there could still be some improvement moving forward on better clearances from the defensive line after they stop the initial crosses to minimize multiple attacking attempts from happening so close together.
In the 73rd minute, Scott got a little too aggressive and a dangerous tackle earned him a yellow card. But soon after he was subbed out, bringing on Morten Bjorshol for his debut with Orange County SC.
The match continued with a wonderful performance from Nakkim, who in the last 15 minutes started to press forward more. He seemed to get a second wind and was seen all over the pitch, but a bright moment happened in the 87th minute where he won a battle against an Indy defender, creating Orange County’s best chance for a second goal. Milan ended up alone in the box to receive a pass from Nakkim. He could have taken the shot but looked a little off-balance, so instead made a smart pass to Chattha at the top of the box. Chattha took the shot, but it just went too high.
LOOKING AHEAD
Although Orange County SC made some much-needed improvements to their defensive strategy this match, there is still more to be desired from the team moving forward. With only 37% of possession throughout the game, there needs to be a shift in strategy about how the team attacks. Again, we saw a lot of long ball passes up to either Milan or Amang that rarely produced strong possibilities on net. However, the team excels when they focus on getting forward through short, quick passes by the midfield that open the opposition’s defense and make them vulnerable to through balls.
Still, the boys in orange and black fought their hearts out this match, and with strong defensive performances from Nakkim, Fox, Richards, Doghman, and Cropper, they were able to earn their first clean sheet and three points of the season. With a win under their belts, let’s all hope the team can continue this momentum next week as OCSC hosts Birmingham Legion at Championship Stadium Saturday, April 22.