ST. PETERSBURG — After a long week of soccer Indy Eleven claimed the 2021 USL Academy Championship with a 3-0 win over Queensboro FC at Al Lang Stadium on Sunday night.
Diego Sanchez was the star, managing a goal and an assist in the comfortable victory. It only took 11 minutes for his side to open the scoring through Diego Rodriguez. Palmer Ault started the play by hitting a through-ball for Kabiru Gafar whose shot after rounding the keeper was denied by a stunning sliding block from the Queensboro backline. On the corner, Indy was not denied as Sanchez’s corner found Rodriguez’s head for a perfect start.
Another 11 minutes later Sanchez became the goal-scorer, he stepped up for a dead-ball situation from 25 yards. Lining it up with his left foot his strike was perfectly placed, out of the reach of the keeper, to double his side’s lead.
After being shell-shocked Queesboro had a chance on the counter 30 minutes into the match. Nestor Cabrera stole possession and then ran at goal and shot over the bar. That sparked a run for the side and moments later Piero Elias was at it, taking a run and hitting a shot from a similar distance as Sanchez’s goal only to be denied by the keeper.
After the break, it was almost all QBFC and in the 42nd minute the club had a penalty shout denied that could well have changed the course of the match. The Eleven defense was fighting to keep the clean sheet and waring the onslaught well.
Nine minutes from time the match was iced as Alann Torres stole the ball and set up Gafar who was able to turn and find Ault whose shot was saved. That mattered little as the rebound fell for Ault who made no mistake at the second time of asking.
Queensboro pushed in the final few minutes but a well marshaled Indy defense was never going to let them through to claim the crown.
In the other matches AC Connecticut avoided the wooden-spoon with a 4-2 win over Southern Soccer Academy. Weston FC finished fifth thanks to a 2-0 win over San Antonio FC and New Mexico United claimed the third place playoff in a 3-2 thriller.
Florida Soccer Report 