(editor’s note: We’re trying something new and asking for your player ratings- head over to this form and give us your player ratings from Saturday’s match. We’ll compile them and report back later in the week. Thanks! For County!)

FIRST HALF

Saturday had all the signs that it would be another disappointing evening for Orange County SC. They had to travel across the country for an away match against Indy Eleven, a team that has been absolutely on fire with an 8-match winning streak, all while OCSC continued to struggle with injuries.

The Orange County lineup looked almost identical to that of last week. The only change was Jordan Chavez starting in the center back position over Ashton Miles, who was on the bench.

With so many defenders currently unavailable to play, Morten Karlsen's strategy for this match was to rely on a long ball approach up to either Cameron Dunbar or Ethan Zubak to catch Indy's defense off guard. However, as the early matches of this season proved, this tactic produced no dangerous attempts on goal.

But Indy also struggled to produce a shot on target, so the early part of the match was a defensive stalemate.

The County Boys would be the first to break through from a corner kick in the 25th minute. Brian Iloski sent the ball toward the center, but it was weakly cleared away. Owen Lambe easily collected the ball and sent a beautiful cross back into the box where Zubak headed into the top of the net.

Twenty minutes later, Dunbar nearly made it a 2-0 lead after dribbling the ball up the middle of the field and taking a shot from the top of the box. The attempt bounced off the left post and deflected off the Indy goalkeeper’s back, sending it toward the net again. Zubak was there to tap in a second goal; however, he was ruled offside, and the scoreline remained the same.

The best sequence of the night from the boys in Orange and Black started after Lambe intercepted a ball to spring a counter. After a few quick passes between Kyle Scott and Iloski, the latter sent a wonderful through ball up the center to Zubak. He won the ball and passed it to Dunbar on the left side for a shot toward the goal. Unfortunately, his shot went just wide of the far post, and the half ended 1-0 for OCSC.

SECOND HALF

Orange County SC prevented their opponents from getting a single shot on target in the first half, keeping Shutler from having much of an impact. But Indy Eleven would change that almost immediately in the second half. Cameron Lindley received the ball at the top of the box and sent a rocket toward the net, but Shutler made a commanding save to keep his squad ahead.

During the break, it was obvious the squad discussed doing everything they could to hold their 1-0 lead until the end. The midfield sat back with the defense, and there were hardly any strong attempts to get possession into Indy’s final third.

Indy Eleven seemed to equalize things in the 62nd minute with a sequence almost identical to one of OCSC's earlier chances in the first half. Romario Williams took a shot that bounced off the crossbar, and the deflection landed at the feet of Augustine Williams, who tapped in the goal. However, Wiliams was also ruled offside, keeping OCSC in the lead.

Yet, the County Boys would get one more chance to widen their lead in the 69th minute after Flood won a ball back in the middle and sent a pass to Zubak on the other end of the pitch. Zubak took the ball to the right side and took arguably his best shot of the season. It blasted to the far post, beating the keeper. However, it ricocheted off the woodwork, giving the team another near miss at a second goal.

The rest of the match was more of the same. The County Boys held their defensive line as Indy kept up their attack. Shutler was the real star in the last ten minutes, with three saves, the last of which was a diving save in the final minute of added time. Orange County SC left Indianapolis with all three points, ending the longest win streak in the league this season.

OVERVIEW

The win against Indy Eleven this past weekend was far from the best or most exciting performance from Orange County SC, but with half the squad injured, the boys in Orange and Black can travel home with their heads held high. Morten Karlsen had a plan for the team to park the bus and hold their opponents back from too many dangerous attacks on goal, and it was executed perfectly.

Ethan Zubak and Ryan Flood were standouts in this match, finally looking confident in their respective positions with the team. Also, Ben Norris made an appearance and showed some real promise in the midfield.

An away win is always exciting, but even though they gained all three points, there are still reasons for fans to be worried. Both Seth Casiple and Brian Iloski had to be subbed off early due to injury, and even though the severity is unknown, this leaves fans concerned that Orange County SC may return home to Championship Soccer Stadium even weaker than when they left.