The Jacksonville Armada FC not only gained a vital three points in Indianapolis Saturday night, but it was also a historic match. Jack Blake earned the first hat-trick in history for the club and the first win of the Robert Palmer era.
“Tonight’s win means three important points. Against a very good team at a traditionally, very hard place to play,” said Armada FC head coach Mark Lowry.
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It was definitely no easy win.
Both teams pressured each other hard right out of the gate. Indy Eleven had the first opportunity of the match nine minutes in by Ben Speas, but Caleb Patterson-Sewell was there with the save.
Éamon Zayed then fired multiple shots toward the net, but each went over or was deflected by Patterson-Sewell.
The Armada FC ultimately was the first team on the board in the 28th minute. Bryam Rebellón sent a nice cross over to Jack Blake in front of the box who fired a shot past two Indy defenders and goalkeeper Jon Busch.
David Goldsmith tried to equalize the match with a shot in the 31st minute. After receiving the ball from Ben Speas, he fired it right into the hands of Patterson-Sewell.
Blake stepped up for a free kick in the 40th minute and his shot went into the upper corner of the net to double the lead for the Armada FC.
The halftime whistle blew with Jacksonville in the lead
Momentum was definitely on the Armada FC’s side going into the second half. Several close chances were taken, but it was not until the 62nd minute when Blake found the back of the net again. He capitalized on another free kick to bring the score to 3-0.
The goal marked the first hat-trick for both Blake and the Armada FC.
“Jack deserves a lot of praise,” said Lowry. “Three goals is always an accomplishment. He needs to continue to develop and learn and I am sure there will be many more moments like this for him.”
Indy was quick with an answer. Justin Braun found Speas, who fired a shot into the net to put the Eleven on the board.
Braun went down due to an injury on the field, causing a delay in the match around the 69th minute. He left the field, leaving Indy Eleven with only ten men after using all three substitutions earlier in the game.
Eight minutes of stoppage time were added to the clock and tired legs were pushed harder. Despite being down a man, Indy Eleven did not go down without a fight.
Two minutes of stoppage time in, David Goldsmith found the end of a cross by Speas and headed it into the net. Indy added another goal to the board, but the final whistle blew with the Armada FC ahead by one.
“The guys deserve to enjoy this,” said Lowry. “This is a month of very hard work. A month of bad luck and bad bounces. Now we need to kick on and progress because there are a lot of games left and points to be won.”
The win marks the first of the Fall Season and gives the Armada FC momentum heading toward the playoffs. The club will next travel to New York to take on the defending NASL Champions, the Cosmos, on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m.