Soccer: New Mexico United pitches 6-0 shutout
Apr. 4—RIO RANCHO — Downright inhospitable!
The description fit both Tuesday night's weather and host New Mexico United, neither of which were kind to visiting NMSU UDA at Rio Rancho High School.
Josh Dolling scored a hat trick (all in the second half) and United rolled to a 6-0 victory over the visitors from Las Cruces in a U.S. Open Cup second-round match. NMU moves on to the third round, scheduled for April 18-19, with the match site and opponent to be announced.
It was hardly a pleasant evening for soccer, with temperatures in the mid-30s and a stiff wind whipping out of the west. But United did its best to warm up 1,680 heavily bundled fans with plenty of on-the-field action.
NMU controlled the action throughout against the combination club/academy side from New Mexico State University, racking up a 16-5 shot advantage (11-1 on target) and finishing with 69% of the possession.
"It's good to start the Open Cup like this," United coach Zach Prince said. "We'd been a little frustrated on the offensive end in our first two matches, so creating a lot of chances like we did tonight was great to see."
United effectively shared the wealth on the attacking end. Daniel Bruce picked up a goal and an assist, José Sosa cashed in the game's first goal and Justin Portillo converted a penalty kick. Andrés Robles came on as a second-half substitute and contributed two assists.
But no one had a bigger night than Dolling, who scored three times over a 25-minute span in the second half as NMU expanded its lead from 2-0 to 6-0.
"It's a great feeling to get off the mark," Dolling said, "and to get the hat trick is even better. Not too many goals in our first two games, so getting six tonight will really help us moving forward."
Dolling, who converted twice on assists from Robles and added a penalty kick, smiled when asked about the frigid conditions.
"It was okay when I was out there," he said, "but once I came off it was like, 'Okay, wow, it's really cold out here.' "
Prince agreed.
"I was shaking hands with some of the fans after the match and their hands were so cold," he said. "But there were smiles on their faces, too. It's amazing to see that kind of support in our first match in Rio Rancho. Hopefully we'll get a chance to host in the third round, too."
United started fast Tuesday, getting Sosa's redirected goal off a cross from Bruce in the third minute. It stayed 1-0 for most of the first half despite several good scoring chances for the hosts, but Portillo's penalty kick in the 39th minute gave NMU a 2-0 lead at halftime.
NMSU UDA held its own through much of the first half but was unable to keep pace after intermission. Dolling scored in the 48th minute, Bruce blasted in a 20-yard strike on a cross from Josh Suggs in the 55th, and suddenly United was rolling with a 4-0 lead.
Dolling added a PK in the 61st minute after Bruce was dragged down in the penalty area, and Dolling managed to navigate the ball past NMSU goalkeeper Mario Castillo for a nifty goal in the 73rd to cap the scoring.
New Mexico United returns to regular USL Championship action on Saturday night at Monterey Bay FC.
NMU's regular-season home opener is April 15 against San Diego Loyal SC at Isotopes Park.
Saturday
NM United at Monterey Bay FC, 8 p.m., 101.7 FM, ESPN+ (streaming)
