ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Cristian Nava and Zico Bailey scored first-half goals to lead New Mexico United to a 2-1 win against Oakland Roots SC before a season-high crowd of 14,847 fans as the hosts moved their undefeated streak to five games despite a second-half penalty kick by Peter Wilson for the visitors.
New Mexico made an ideal start as Nava opened the scoring in spectacular fashion just six minutes in. The former Academy product brought down a lofted ball by Niko Hämäläinen into the right side of the penalty area and with his second touch fired into the top-left corner of the net. United’s Kipp Keller also hit the post with a header off a long throw-in from the right soon after, but Bailey doubled New Mexico’s lead four minutes before the halftime break as Dayonn Harris’ low cross found the Philippines international for a close-range finish.
Oakland tried to rally in the second half as Wolfgang Prentice forced a good save by New Mexico goalkeeper Kris Shakes shortly after the break, but the hosts also continued to threaten with Harris having an effort palmed over the crossbar in the 54th minute. Roots cut the deficit in half on Wilson’s 10th goal of the season as he converted from the spot after he was brought down in the box by Maliek Howell, but United put together a strong finish to the contest as Luther Archimède went close to an insurance marker before Tommy McCabe’s last-ditch effort for Oakland went off target, allowing New Mexico to hold onto the result.
Takeaways
New Mexico United – The hosts extended their undefeated streak in league play to five games with a strong all-around performance that sent them into the top three in the Western Conference. New Mexico has been excellent when scoring the opening goal this season, now extending its undefeated streak to 16 games when it finds the net first dating back more than a year, and the overall display in this outing was exactly what was needed.
Oakland Roots SC – Roots simply wasn’t at the races in the first half, being held without an official shot and recording only four touches in the attacking penalty area. While the visitors showed improvement in the second half, they were unable to find a way to make their advantage in possession tell, ceding third place in the West to New Mexico as a result.