U-17/18 doesn't allow any goals but can't find net against Indiana United

By Curt Herron

Limiting a team to no goals is a good feat in the rugged Great Lakes Division, especially when it's done on the road.

And when that result is achieved against a squad that has shown some scoring success, then it's an even bigger deal.

That's just what the Fire Academy U-17/18 squad was able to do on Saturday when it met Indiana United in Indianapolis.

But while the Fire held a squad that was averaging over two goals a match scoreless, they also struggled offensively.

Chicago recorded its first shutout in division play but couldn't find the net and wound up settling for a 0-0 draw.

Although one point is clearly better than none, the tie on a windy and cold afternoon left the Fire feeling unhappy.

That's because Chicago is 1-2-2 with five points as it waits for its next action on April 30 with the Chicago Magic.

"The result today was probably fair enough," Fire assistant coach Tony Kees said. "We had two really good chances in the second half where we should have scored on at least one of them.

"But Zak Allen also had to come up big for us in goal. Indiana United hit the post and had two point blank shots which Zak stopped and it also had two free kicks from the top of the box.

"It's always a plus if you keep a clean sheet, so that's what we'll draw from today. We're getting to the point where we're desperate for a win and will take one however we can get it."

Both teams had their share of chances to walk away with a victory, but defenders and the goalkeepers stole the show.

Zak Allen made several key stops, including two point-blank saves in the late going, to record one of the shutouts.

The Fire keeper was supported by the play of defenders Keaton Albert, Peter Beasley, Lalo Cuautle and Anthony Torres.

Chicago's defensive effort was noteworthy since the squad has now given up just one goal during its last two matches.

That's a far cry from the first three division contests, when the Fire allowed eight goals during the opening halves.

There was plenty of drama in the final 20 minutes, with most of the threats provided by the hosts (1-1-3, 6 points).

Shortly after lining a shot that bounced off of the post, Max Odgaard was tripped up just beyond the top of the box.

Matthew Ingram took the resulting free kick but his attempt was sent right at Allen, who hauled in the line drive.

The Fire responded a bit later with a Luis Medina try that went high and an attempt from Manny Guzman that was wide.

With about three minutes left, Indiana United made a last push and it almost resulted in a score to break the tie.

Ingram started things with a shot that was denied by Allen, who then managed to stop the rebound try from Chad Rigg.

Rigg, who has played for the Fire Juniors, had the match's last attempt, a grounder to Allen during stoppage time.

The Fire started things with a Medina shot that forced a corner from Daniel Lojek, which was cleared by a defender.

Jacob Brindle had a try that was deflected for another corner, which led to a header over the net by Patrick Doody.

Shortly after Allen denied Rigg on a pair of shots, Sean Weidman deflected a liner from Joey Calistri over the net.

Luis Barajas and Guzman entered at the beginning of the second half as the Fire looked to piece something together.

But the first part of the final half was characterized by only a couple of opportunities which didn't lead to much.

"I thought we kept the ball more than the other team in both halves, but we just couldn't score," Barajas said. "We came in with a plan that the coaches gave us and it was really effective.

"Our team has been getting a lot better together, people are coming off the bench harder and everyone has been contributing. We have a really young team with a lot of new players this season.

"We have really good friendship on this team on and off the field, and that's something that you don't always find. We push each other really hard and motivate one another to do even better."