Orange County SC Brings Back a Point from New Mexico
USL Orange County SC

Orange County SC Brings Back a Point from New Mexico

Published on June 13, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release


Orange County SC traveled to the Land of Enchantment on Saturday night to take on a surging New Mexico United side. The County Boys showed tremendous resilience on the road, battling their way to a hard-earned point in a fast-paced and entertaining 1-1 draw against New Mexico United.

The hosts wasted little time asserting themselves, stunning Orange County with an early breakthrough in the 2nd minute. Kipp Keller rose highest to meet a dangerous cross from Niko Hämäläinen, directing a header past goalkeeper Alex Rando to give New Mexico an immediate 1-0 advantage.

Orange County SC responded brilliantly to the early setback, quickly settling into the match and taking control of possession. The Black and Orange pinned New Mexico deep in their own half, applying relentless pressure and dictating the tempo of play.

Their response was swift and deserved. In the 18' minute, Chris Hegardt unlocked the New Mexico defense with a perfectly weighted pass into the box, finding Nico Benalcázar in space in front of goal. The defender showed remarkable composure, calmly slotting his finish past the goalkeeper to level the match at 1-1 and cap off an impressive spell of sustained pressure from Orange County.

Orange County SC continued to dictate the pace of the match, silencing the crowd at The Lab as the visitors controlled possession and created the more dangerous opportunities. Striker Yaniv Bazini found himself in promising positions on multiple occasions, but his efforts narrowly missed the target, sailing just over the crossbar as OCSC continued to search for the go-ahead goal.

Orange County closed out the opening half as the more dangerous side, continuing to press for a second goal and forcing New Mexico onto the defensive. A promising late counterattack appeared to be halted by an uncalled foul, drawing frustration from the OCSC bench, before the referee's whistle ended the half and sent both teams to the locker room tied 1-1.

What followed was an entertaining and hard-fought second half, with the two Western Conference contenders trading chances in a relentless back-and-forth affair. Like two prizefighters refusing to give an inch, Orange County SC and New Mexico United exchanged attacking sequences while searching for the match-winning goal. Despite the quality and intensity on display, the deadlock remained unbroken as the match entered the final 10 minutes.

With the score still level at 1-1 after regulation, the match entered three minutes of stoppage time. Both sides continued to battle for a decisive breakthrough, but Orange County SC remained organized and disciplined defensively while looking for opportunities in transition. As the final whistle approached, OCSC appeared content to see out the result, earning a valuable point on the road in a difficult environment at The Lab.

The club has a few more road games before returning to Championship Soccer Stadium on July 11 for Global Soccer Night and a pregame Uncorked wine event. The match will be OCSC's final Prinx Tires USL Cup match of the 2026 season. For tickets and more information, click HERE.

MILESTONES AND FACTS:

TEAM FIRST HALF SECOND HALF FULL TIME

OCSC 1 0 1

NMU 1 0 1

SCORING SUMMARY:

ORANGE COUNTY SC

18" Nico Benalcazar - Assist Chris Hegardt

NEW MEXICO UNITED

2' Kipp Keller - Assist Niko Hämäläinen

DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:

89' Ousmane Sylla - Yellow Card

ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP: (4-4-2)

Alex Rando (GK); Tom Brewitt (C), Garrison Tubbs, Grayson Doody, Ryan Doghman (58' Nicola Ciotta), Nico Benalcazar, Stephen Kelly (83' Efren Solis), Ousmane Sylla, Chris Hegardt (83' Pedro Guimaraes), Lyam MacKinnon (75' Brandon Cambridge), Yaniv Bazini

Unused subs: Tetsuya Kadono (GK), Tyson Espy, Jamir Johnson, Marcelo Palomino, Apolo Marinch

Head Coach: Danny Stone

Possession: 37% | Shots: 15 | Shots On Goal: 1 | Corners: 4 | Fouls: 9 | Offsides: 2 | Saves: 2

NEW MEXICO UNITED LINEUP: (4-2-3-1)

Kristopher Shakes (GK); Ousman Jabang, Maliek Howell, Niko Hämäläinen, Chris Gloster (69' Tyler Blackett), Kipp Keller, Zico Bailey, Gedion Zelalem(69' Justin Rennicks), Dayonn Harris, Niall Reid-Stephen (89' Cristian Nava), Greg Hurst (C)

Unused Subs: Raiko Arozarena (GK); Taren Wente, Valentin Noël, Cullen Wilkerson, Marlon Vargas, Luther Archimède

Head Coach: Dennis Sanchez

Possession: 63% | Shots: 13 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corners: 3 | Fouls: 18 | Offsides: 1 | Saves: 0

Orange County SC v. New Mexico United

2026 USL Championship Match 12

Date: June 13, 2026

Venue: Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, NM

Chad Romiti PR Manager Orange County Soccer Club M: 949-293-7781 O: 949-647-GOAL orangecountysoccer.com

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 13, 2026


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