Set pieces bite United in 2-1 loss to Charleston Battery

New Mexico United did a solid job shutting down the USL Championship’s best attack Saturday night, but couldn’t find a late spark of its own.

Visiting Charleston Battery, the USLC’s top-scoring team, cashed in on a pair of second-half set pieces and held on for a 2-1 victory at Isotopes Park. One of Charleston’s goals came on an own goal, only adding to the frustration of United and 11,072 raucous fans.

“Frustrating is the first thing that comes to mind,” said United defender Jon-Talen Maples, who scored New Mexico’s lone goal on a penalty kick. “I thought we were the better team overall, quicker to the ball, but there were two set pieces we had to be better on. Tough one.”

Maples’ PK evened the score at 1-1 in the 62nd minute, coming after a Battery defender took NMU’s Marlon Vargas down in the box. It was Maples’ third goal in USLC play and fourth in all competitions this season, all coming on penalties.

But the turning point came six minutes later when Charleston was awarded a free kick near midfield and lofted a high ball toward the New Mexico goal. It was headed forward by Cal Jennings to Rubio Rubin, who headed it into the net for a 2-1 lead.

United amped up its pressure for most of the remaining time but could not put together an equalizing combination. Luiz Fernando came painfully close in the early seconds of stoppage time, redirecting a lead pass from Sergio Rivas that deflected off the crossbar and over the top.

Fernando, much like Maples, left the field frustrated.

“We know we can break them down,” Fernando said. “It’s just unfortunate. That last touch hasn’t been there for us lately, but we know we have a good team. It’s coming. The breakthrough is gonna come.”

Saturday’s loss dropped New Mexico into a second-place tie in the USLC Western Conference standings, two points behind San Antonio, which edged Tampa Bay 1-0 on Saturday. United is just 1-3-1 in its last five outings and will have an extended wait before its next match, a Jagermeister Cup contest at San Antonio on July 26.

To its credit, NMU played with more energy and forced the action more effectively Saturday than it did in a 1-0 loss at Pittsburgh on July 4. United managed just six shots in that defeat but matched Charleston 12-12 on Saturday (4-2 in shots on goal) and held 57% of the possession.

“I loved the energy tonight,” United coach Dennis Sanchez said. “We pressed really effectively and I thought we kept Charleston’s attack in check most of the way. We played good football and had our chances, we just didn’t finish enough of them.”

Saturday’s game was delayed roughly an hour by rainy weather, but it did nothing to dampen the fans or settle a chippy match that ended with a large scrum and a pushing match after the final whistle. It was a fitting conclusion after a night of physical play and inconsistent calls that had both teams confronting the referee throughout.

Former United midfielder Houssou Landry was in the middle of much of the physical play and might easily have missed the second half. Landry picked up an early yellow card and later took down NMU’s Thomas Amang from behind in transition but did not draw a second card. United’s players and coaches expressed their displeasure and Sanchez ended up drawing a yellow card.

After a scoreless first half, Charleston grabbed the lead when a corner kick deflected off NMU’s Ousman Jabang and trickled into the net in the 49th minute. United got even on Maples’ penalty kick but was unable to generate a needed second goal.

“Finishing is not easy,” Sanchez said, “but we’ve got to continue to find ways to give ourselves more opportunities. We’ve got to be more critical in that final third and that’s something we’ll be working on during this (two-week) break.”