Orange County SC's lineup against New Mexico United this past Saturday had some critical missing players, with Markus Nakkim (injury), Kevin Partida (suspension), and Kyle Scott (injury) all unavailable.
FIRST HALF
In the first ten minutes, it was a complete back-and-forth battle between these two clubs. OC continued to rely on late crosses into the box to create chances. However, New Mexico was able to clear the ball away from danger every time.
The visitors seemed happy to rely on the back five to shut OCSC down before looking to send forward a long ball in hopes that Greg Hurst would be able to beat the defensive line. However, Ashton Miles and Dillon Powers were up to the task every time and stopped any attempts from reaching Colin Shutler.
There was nearly a moment of brilliance for the boys in orange and black when Zubak dropped back toward the half, won the ball, and sent a beautiful through ball to Cameron Dunbar. He beat the defender, Will Seymore, but was pulled to the ground to prevent any further danger from Dunbar. Seymore was booked as a result. Seth Casiple sent in a cross for the free kick, and Hegardt was waiting at the edge of the box for the rebound; his volley, unfortunately, went wide.
Soon after, New Mexico almost had their perfect opportunity when the ball was sent forward to Hurst, who took a masterful touch to get around Miles and push toward the box. He sent in a cross to the far post that could have easily resulted in the opening goal if it wasn't for Owen Lambe getting a crucial clearance to keep things level.
In the 22nd minute, Orange County got into the final third but kept getting cleared away by the defensive line. However, they kept possession well and utilized Ashish Chattha and Casiple as the perfect pivot players. The team would reset back to those two, and they would supply the offense with another chance. The best of these came with Dunbar, who used fantastic footwork to open up a shot from outside the box. It looked clean toward the far post, but just barely went wide.
Hurst again responded with a play of his own a few minutes later. He received the ball at the top of the box and did a quick one-two combination to open himself up for a one-on-one dual with Shutler. But Shutler was faster off his line and punched the ball away just before Hurst could shoot.
It was clear that these two teams were in an offensive deadlock. Both sides went blow for blow, with a handful of dangerous moments each, but as the halftime whistle went, neither squad was able to break down the other’s defensive strength to find a goal.
SECOND HALF
Both teams' defensive prowess held strong into the second half, with neither side gaining much ground in opening a solid chance on goal as the match reached the hour mark.
As the half progressed, though, The County Boys took control and pushed forward a handful of times to build pressure against the New Mexico defense. Ryan Doghman, Hegardt, and Casiple were the best at creating chances for the squad and giving their team some positive momentum.
Hegardt and Dunbar each had some great looks at goal. Hegardt received the ball at the top of the box and sent a low shot toward the near post, but Alexandros Tambakis saved it. About ten minutes later, Powers sent in a beautiful cross into the six, where Dunbar attempted a header; it would have beaten Tambakis as it bounced toward the far corner of the net, but New Mexico's defense was able to clear it away from danger.
In the 70th minute, the tide began to shift in favor of the visitors. Within a couple of minutes, they got a couple of shots on target, and luckily, Shutler was easily able to make the necessary saves.
However, the stadium went silent in the 76th minute after a counterattack started by Marlon Vargas. He switched the field over to Jacobo Reyes, who had acres of space to run toward the box. Instead, he crossed it past the OC defensive line to Hurst, who took a one-touch shot into the back of the net. Luckily, the offside flag was raised, and the goal was disallowed, keeping the scoreline level.
Charlie Asensio came on as a sub to replace Hegardt, making his first appearance since March after suffering a major shoulder injury.
The boys in orange and black got one more chance in stoppage time when Dunbar was again pulled down a few yards outside the box. Casiple stepped up to take the free kick and crossed it to the far post. The ball was initialy cleared, but only as far as Ben Norris, who attempted a shot on the rebound that went well wide of the net. It was the last play of the evening, and the match ended in a draw.
OVERVIEW
Usually, a scoreless draw is criticized as being a boring match of soccer; however, in this case, the scoreline was due to a heated battle between two teams with incredible defensive performances. Orange County SC has had trouble in the offense all season, but tonight, they finally began taking many welcome chances to score. Cameron Dunbar and Chris Hegardt especially were eager to find the net as they shot from anywhere around the box, and although they were unsuccessful in their attempts, it was a sight for sore eyes to see them shooting freely. If they keep it up, a few of those chances will surely turn into spectacular goals.
Walking away with a point against New Mexico United, the top seed in the Western Conference, is nothing to scoff at. The County Boys played with a lot of passion this Saturday and seemed to have the slight upper hand in moments. This bodes well for the coming weeks, as OCSC officially clinched a playoff spot with their sixth shutout in seven matches. And in their current form, everyone should be afraid to play against them.
Danny Stone's squad has the perfect momentum going into the playoffs. Hopefully, they can keep it going next week for the final match of the regular season. They're off against Hartford Athletic on Saturday, October 26th, at 7:00 p.m.