United comes off the ropes, stops Indy Eleven with three second-half goals

New Mexico United spent the first half of Sunday’s USL Championship match in Indianapolis on the ropes, taking punches.

In the second half, United came out fighting.

Harry Swartz, Sergio Rivas and Greg Hurst banged in second-half goals and New Mexico rallied for a stunning 3-1 victory over Indy Eleven at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. NMU extended its lead atop the USLC Western Conference to six points over Sacramento and Oakland, snapping a two-game losing streak in the process.

United also improved to 13-6-2, matching its franchise record for wins in a single season with 13 regular-season matches still to play. Sunday’s victory was especially remarkable considering the visitors appeared to be headed for an early knockout in the opening half.

“We let (Indy) dictate style of play in the first half,” United coach Eric Quill said in a postgame phone interview. “They’re a very physical, direct team and in the first half, brawn won out. In the second half, we got back to our brand and football won out.”

Indy Eleven (10-8-5) had everything going its way in the first half, outshooting NMU 8-4 (3-1 in shots on target) and holding 58% of the possession. The hosts won most of the physical battles as well, including a brief pushing-and-shoving match that yielded two yellow cards for United and one for Indy.

Moments after order was restored, Indy’s Logan Neidlinger came open on the right wing and blasted a shot off the hands of NMU goalkeeper Alex Tambakis and into the net.

Eleven led 1-0 in the 28th minute and might easily have extended the margin before halftime. Twice Indy sent well-placed crosses into open space inside United’s penalty area but attackers failed to redirect them into the goal.

“I don’t know if we were still asleep in the first half or what it was,” Quill said. “I thought we played scared and were really hesitant. I just told them at halftime, ‘Guys, we’ve got to be ourselves, play through lines, get back to our strengths.’”

The momentum turned quickly after intermission. New Mexico began to press and evened the score in the 53rd minute when Swartz collected a nifty backward flick from Daniel Bruce, eluded a defender near the top of the box and blasted the ball home.

It was the first USLC goal of the season for Swartz, who returned to the lineup after missing several games with a concussion.

United took the lead in the 64th minute when Bruce sent a lead pass to Rivas with plenty of space near the top of the 18-yard box. Rivas moved to his left and fired a cross-field, left-footed shot into the right side net cords for a 2-1 lead. It was Rivas’ third USLC goal this season.

With his team leading, Quill sent on three substitutes in the 71st minute and the move quickly paid dividends. Two of the newcomers, Jacobo Reyes and Greg Hurst, teamed up to give United a 3-1 lead in the 75th minute. Reyes collected the ball and deftly left it for Hurst just outside the box. Hurst took the ball and promptly left-footed it past Indy goalkeeper Hunter Sulte for his team-leading ninth goal.

“Three great goals in the second half,” Quill said, “and our subs came on and really extended the momentum. Once we took over the momentum, we never gave it back. Hopefully we can build on that Wednesday.”

United, which ended up holding 57% of the game’s possession, returns home Monday to continue a stretch of three games in seven days. NMU hosts FC Tulsa on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and entertains Monterey Bay FC on Saturday.