Twenty-four players, three home venues, and two cupsets in seven months. The inaugural Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC season was full of memories and moments that made for one incredible season.
“It was a season to be proud of, and there’s a lot of positives to be taken out of it,” head coach Éamon Zayed said. “As it was our first year it was also a year of learning. I have no doubt that with everything that happened this year, it is only going to make us much stronger going into the 2023 season.”
Starting the year on the road with nine straight road games was a less-than-ideal situation for the team. But they made do and made some magic happen along the way before they could call somewhere home in Colorado.
The first magic moment was winning the first game in club history, a 1-0 victory over USL Championship outfit Colorado Springs Switchbacks on April 6 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in extra time and with only 10 men. Winger Jerry Desdunes scored the first club’s first-ever goal on, with an assist from forward Lachlan McLean, moving Northern Colorado onto the next round. Eighteen-year-old Owen Damm’s appearance in the game made him the youngest player to suit up for the club.
“It’s really cool because no matter what, that’s something that can never be taken away,” defender Arthur Rogers said. “When they look back to the first squad or 11 who played in that Open Cup game against Switchbacks, our names will always be there. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”
The win over the Switchbacks then set up a meeting with the biggest opponent the Hailstorm would face all season, MLS side Real Salt Lake on April 20. In front of 19,301 people at the Rio Tinto Stadium, Northern Colorado was undaunted by the crowd and atmosphere. The 1-0 victory was the first time a USL League One team had beaten an MLS team in regulation time. Thomas Olsen kept a clean sheet to see the squad through to the next round.
“It was a special moment,” said captain and defender Rob Cornwall, who scored the memorable goal. “It was good to play in a big stadium in front of a lot of fans, and especially for the club in its first year. It was good to do it with the lads and especially for the coaches as well.”
Greeley was a special place for the Hailstorm. Thanks to the University of Northern Colorado letting the team call Jackson Stadium home, the club was able to play its first game in Northern Colorado on June 8. It came with such memorable moments as midfielder Nortei Nortey stealing the team a point with a goal against South Georgia Tormenta FC in the ninth minute of stoppage time on June 11, and defeating Central Valley Fuego FC 4-1 for one of the two largest margins of victory in the season.
A 41,000-seat stadium is no small place to play, and Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University was the next place Northern Colorado called home. Playing in a stadium bigger than half of the English Premier League stadiums is quite the experience. These matches also gave Fort Collins native Destan Norman a chance to play in his hometown.
“Playing pro soccer is obviously a dream,” Norman said. “Being able to do it in front of a crowd that I know just makes it so much more special.”
Part way through the season, as the race for the playoffs was beginning, the Hailstorm squad grew. New players Jackson Dietrich, Wolfgang Prentice, Marcus Barnes, and Jonathan Partida joined the club.
To offset the number of away matches at the beginning of the year, the club played eight of its 12 games in Colorado. These matches were at Severance High School, the third and final venue of the season. It was where Trevor Amann netted the first hat trick in club history in a 4-1 win over North Carolina FC on September 3, and it was also where the club’s record attendance was set on October 8, with 1,167 attending the season finale against FC Tucson.
“It was obviously very hard to keep changing, but the experience of touring Northern Colorado was amazing,” said midfielder Shane McFaul, who announced the end of his 20-year professional career prior to the home finale. “I’ve never played in these types of stadiums before, it’s been an amazing experience, and it’s been really fun.”
The season drew to a close in Week 29, the final week in the regular season, when Northern Colorado was on a bye. The Hailstorm were in fifth place, with South Georgia and Charlotte Independence right behind them in sixth and seventh respectively. To make the playoffs, Northern Colorado needed Chattanooga Red Wolves SC to defeat South Georgia, or North Carolina to win or tie against Charlotte.
“It was difficult not having been settled or having an established home field,” defender Brecc Evans said. “The Open Cup, having midweek games … It made it tough for us. But I think that gave us a good base in the beginning of the season, and prepared us for this late regular season run.”
However, Red Wolves lost 2-0 and North Carolina lost 5-1. That left the Hailstorm equal on points with Charlotte, but because the first tiebreaker is wins and not goal differential, and the Independence had 12 to Northern Colorado’s 11, Charlotte went through to the playoffs. Northern Colorado closed the season as the hottest team in the league, picking up ten points in the final four matches, but finished one win shy of the postseason with the third-best goal differential in the league.
Irvin Parra closed the campaign leading the team with 11 goals and tied for sixth in the USL League One Golden Boot race. Goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda finished with five clean sheets and was second in the USL League One Golden Glove race.
The club is optimistic and excited for next season and beyond. USL League One welcomes two new sides to the competition next season, the standings reset, and everyone goes again for another run at the USL League One championship. The message Zayed told the players at the Real Salt Lake match still rings true: “Believe.”
The future home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature a 6,500-seat TicketSmarter Stadium, 2,500-seat Future Legends Field, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports tournaments, events, leagues, and more.