Floundering Latics Fall 4-1 to Indy Eleven
Michee Ngalina provides the only consolation as the club's slide continues
Hartford Athletic turned in another lackluster performance on Saturday night in Indianapolis as their losing streak hit six games in all competitions. The team once again got off on the wrong foot and were unable to work their way back into the game as a bright start to the season continues to recede into the distance.
The game started off in the worst possible way for the Latics, with Thomas Vancaeyezeele being penalized for a handball in the penalty area in only the second minute. Jack Blake converted from the spot to put the home team ahead and put Hartford behind in the first half for the sixth consecutive game.
Things did not improve from there as the Latics struggled to gain a meaningful foothold in the game, and the first half played out in a somewhat scrappy fashion. Both teams completed less than 70% of their passes and despite a handful of opportunities, it looked like the game might go to the break with the score 1-0. That was until Ben Ofeimu hammered home a rebound in the box in stoppage time to double Indy’s advantage and send them down the tunnel with all the momentum.
In the second half Indy scored two goals inside five minutes just before the hour mark put the game to bed. First Douglas Martinez and then Augustine Williams found the back of the net to secure all three points for the hosts, and leave the Latics staring down the barrel of a fourth straight shutout loss.
Hartford at least avoided that ignominy, as Michee Ngalina scored his second goal of the season - and the club’s first goal in more than 400 minutes - in the 80th minute to give the visitors a late consolation. The Latics did manufacture one or two more chances as the minutes ticked down, but Indy ultimately saw out the game from there to run their winning streak to five games and hit seven unbeaten in all competitions.
The poor performance will mean that questions continue to mount for Hartford as the club heads back home for a Friday night matchup with Monterey Bay. With a quarter of the season now gone, Brendan Burke and his staff will need to find some answers, and soon.