Day One of the USL Academy Playoffs saw New Mexico United Academy come away with an emphatic victory over AC Connecticut. The 2-0 margin was reflective of the excellent defensive work, as United expertly defended as a unit throughout the match, holding Connecticut without a shot on goal.
On the offensive side of the ball, Alex Waggoner was dominant. The Santa Fe-native earned his first goal in the 30th minute, as Andres Robles played a terrific low through ball, and Waggoner did the rest, dribbling between two defenders and firing low and hard around the keeper.
“This has been the goal all year long,” said Waggoner. “It feels to have this execution in a real, meaningful game. It feels great to finally be here… We know when we wear that badge, we represent New Mexico. We’re really proud of that, and this is a great opportunity for all of us.”
United would dominate possession the rest of the way, creating several chances on goal. But the dagger came in the 51st minute, as Waggoner picked the ball off of Connecticut’s center back at mid-pitch and then strode the length of the half with a defender on his hip, forcing the keeper off his line. Waggoner then fired low, between the keeper’s legs for a 2-0 lead that New Mexico would not relinquish.
“In a situation like this – in a tournament like this – you want to get off to a good start in terms of your result, so we did that and took care of business,” said United Academy Head Coach Luke Sanford. “I think the even better silver lining is that our group knows that we could have played a lot better.”
The 2-0 lead puts New Mexico firmly in first place in Group A of the USL Academy Playoffs. United continue their quest for a championship tomorrow, as they take on Tampa Bay United. The top team in each group will advance to the championship match on Sunday.
