USL W League debuts with Indy Eleven victory: 'It was so much more than I expected.'

WESTFIELD — There were rumors of a sellout for the Indy Eleven's first foray into the women's game Friday night, but the scene at Grand Park for the first-ever USL W League game exceeded any and all expectations. Fans filled bleachers along both sidelines high above the field, with the Brickyard Battalion packed into a few sections behind the home bench, waving flags, banging drums and singing chants through the entire game.

It was crowded. It was loud. It was, by any measure, pretty dang awesome.

"It was so much more than I expected," defenseman Karsyn Cherry, a Lafayette Central Catholic senior and Louisville commit, said following the 3-1 victory over Kings Hammer FC. "We couldn't have asked for a better crowd, a better support system… It was so much fun."

"It was fantastic," added coach Paul Dolinsky. "And not just the noise. It was the purpose behind the noise (from the Brickyard Battalion), and the flags, and how early they got here for the warm-ups. It was very professionally done."

How loud was it? It was so loud at field level the players had trouble hearing Dolinsky, who spent most of halftime emphasizing the importance of being vocal and "playing over the sound."

Pretty cool backdrop for the 44-team pre-professional league's inaugural clash.

"That was really fun to see and experience tonight," said BYU junior forward Rachel McCarthy, who helped the Cougars to the NCAA national championship game last fall.

McCarthy tallied the first goals in Indy Eleven and USL W League history. She banged home the rebound off Gracie Bahr's shot eight minutes into regulation, then redirected a pass from Maddy Williams into the back of the net nine minutes later.

"We had an idea of what we were getting, but I think my exact words during Thursday's training were 'Wow, she can fly,'" Dolinsky said of McCarthy. "That was an incredibly good performance from her tonight, but those two finishes were top-notch."

"My older sister, Robyn, was looking to play pro and Paulie reached out to her," McCarthy said of her journey to the Indy Eleven. "I knew I wanted to play somewhere and when she decided she was going to play in Indiana, I was like why not? Why not come here if they'll take me? I'm glad they did because I wanted to play with my sister again. It's been fun."

Adding to the intrigue of Friday's proceedings: Indy Eleven's first game as a team came after only a couple practices and with an incomplete roster as a few players wrap-up finals.

Despite the unfamiliarity, the team jelled from the opening whistle, starting out in a 3-4-3 formation before shifting to a more familiar 4-3-3 for the second half, with a trio of Lady Victory FC teammates — Katie Soderstrom (Butler), Abby Isger (Butler) and Molly McLaughlin (Xavier) — lined up on the right side.

There is room for improvement, McCarthy said, but it felt fairly comfortable from the start and they quickly learned how to play with one another.

"It was a little crazy, a little hectic at times, but these girls are super welcoming and really great players," Cherry added. They know what they're doing and all I can do is learn from them."

As for the importance of the league and this team, Dolinsky said: "It's massive. It really is."

"There are some very quality teams and players, and now we have another platform that offers more opportunities for players to understand what it means to be a pro," he continued. "Already having one foot in the door in Indianapolis is big time for our young ladies growing up in the community to have something to look forward to."

Cherry shines in debut

The second-youngest player on the Indy Eleven roster (Noblesville senior and UNC-bound keeper Nona Reason has her beat by a few months), Cherry acquitted herself quite well in her professional debut, playing a full 90 minutes along the back line. She withstood a few early tests, and only got better as the game progressed. "All I was thinking was, connect the first pass. Don't mess up the first touch," Cherry laughed.

"Karsyn responded very well," added Dolinsky, who coaches her on the club circuit. "In the second half, she was very, very important for us getting out of the back. She broke things up defensively. She handled it very well."

Up next

Indy Eleven travels to Michigan on Thursday to play Flint City AFC.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USL W League: Indy Eleven women's team debuts with win, sellout