Indiana Blaze are a former W-League

W-League

The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....

 team based in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. The Blaze left the league after the completion of the 2001 season.

W-League History (1997–2001)

Indiana Blaze joined the W-League in 1997 and entered the newly formed W-2 in 1998 when the league split. Blaze was the sister team of the Indiana Blast

Indiana Blast

Indiana Blast were an American soccer team, founded in 1997. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues, and played in the D-3 Pro League, the A-League and the USL Premier Development League, until folding at the end of the 2004 season....

 who moved up to the A-League in 1999 after two seasons in the D3 Pro League. Blaze and Blast were known for the overlapping game times on adjacent fields at Kuntz Stadium

Kuntz Stadium

Kuntz Memorial Soccer Stadium is an outdoor soccer facility located in Indianapolis. It is the location of the IHSAA State Soccer finals. It contains two FIFA-regulated game fields and seats 5,257 people. Various championship games have been played in this facility...

.

1998

• Final W-League Record of 5–7
• USASA Region II Runner-ups
• US Women's Amateur Cup National Finalist

1999

• Midwest Division Champions
• Playoffs: Indiana 0 @ North Texas 1 (OT)
• North Texas eventual champions (5–1 over Springfield)
• W-2 Most Valuable Player – Joy Aschenbrener (28 G 13 A)

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
August 1	at North Texas Heat	L	0–1 (OT)

2000

• Central Conference Champions Wendy Dillinger
  Wendy Dillinger
  Wendy Dillinger is an NCAA soccer coach and former professional soccer player. Dillinger currently coaches the women's side at Iowa State University.-Youth:Born in St...
  
  's 45-yard upper 90 blast in the 65th minute and Joy Aschenbrener's toe-poke in the 90th minute gave Indiana a come-from-behind vistory over the Cincinnati Ladyhawks and vaulted them into the W-League National Championship Playoffs. Indiana needed two victories in back-to-back games versus Cincinnati in the season's final week to bypass the Ladyhawks for first place in the conference and they delivered with 4–2 and 3–2 wins.
• Semifinals (Friday August 4): Charlotte 2 vs Indiana 1 (OT)
• Third Place Match (Sunday August 6): Oklahoma 1 vs Indiana 2 (OT) In the third-place match, a pair of substitutes scored goals to help the Indiana Blaze overcome a one-goal deficit and defeat the Oklahoma Outrage, 2–1 in sudden death. Kara Bryan, who came on in the 65th minute, slotted the ball into the far corner of the net after receiving a cross from the left side from Joy Aschenbrener eight minutes into overtime to give Indiana the victory. Halftime substitute Alisa Pykett had tied the game at 1–1 in the 72nd minute on a spectacular diving header at the far post on a cross from Lori Lindsey. The Outrage, despite playing with only one eligible substitute, took the lead midway through the first half when Cami Bybee finished a corner kick taken by Andi Lute in the 22nd minute.
• W-2 Assist Leader – Kara Bryan (5)
• W-2 All-League Team – Lori Lindsey

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
May 19	Kentucky Fillies	W	2–1
June 3	at Cincinnati Ladyhawks	W	1–0
June 4	Cleveland Eclipse	W	2–1 (OT)
June 11	Rockford Dactyls	W	6–0
June 16	at Kentucky Fillies	D	1–1
June 23	Chicago Cobras	L	1–5
July 1	at Rockford Dactyls	W	3–0
July 2	at Chicago Cobras	L	0–6
July 9	Rockford Dactyls	W	8–1
July 14	at Cincinnati Ladyhawks	W	4–2
July 16	Cincinnati Ladyhawks	W	3–2
July 22	at Cleveland Eclipse	W	3–1
August 4	vs Charlotte Lady Eagles	L	1–2 (OT)
August 6	vs Oklahoma Outrage	W	2–1 (OT)

2001

• Final Record 4–7–1

The Kentucky Fillies climbed closer to playoff contention with a 2–1 win over the Indiana Blaze in United Soccer League W-League action Friday night. Fillies forward Christal Mattingly scored the winning goal in the 81st minute.

Operations Suspended

Owner MorSports, Inc. suspended operations of their women's team, the Indiana Blaze, for the 2002 playing season. Owner and President of MorSports, Kim Morris said, "We're in this for the long haul. We want both of our teams to be around for many years to come and if that means suspending the women's team for a season to stabilize our operations, then that is what we should do."

They were the first high-profile women's sports team in the state, and the team's fan support increased each season averaging nearly 2,000 fans per game in 2001.

Managers

Marc Behringer (1998–2001) made quite a splash in his first year as head coach of the Indiana Blaze. The club was its first ever Midwest Division championship and W-League playoff berth.

After scoring 31 goals his senior year and 80 in his career at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Behringer played for Indiana University from 1984–1988, captaining the NCAA Championship team as a senior. He played two seasons for the Indiana Blast as a defender, recording a goal and an assist in 17 games.

Behringer has served as the girls' head soccer coach at his alma mater since 1996. He was named "City Coach of the Year" by the Indianapolis Star three times.

Behringer was assisted by Sherwin Simon.

Year-by-year regular season record

Year	League	Wins	Losses	Draws	Points	GF	GA
1997	W-League	5	5	1	15	28	20
1998	W-2 (W-League)	5	7	2	17	34	13
1999	W-2 (W-League)	8	4	0	39	33	16
2000	W-2 (W-League)	9	2	1	43	34	20
2001	W-2 (W-League)	4	7	1	18	14	17

All-Time Roster