Featured Image Photo Credit: Trevor Hellman
PAPILLION, Neb. – A 10-man Hailstorm hacked away at a three-goal deficit in Saturday’s second half, but they couldn’t complete the comeback against Union Omaha and suffered a 3-2 loss.
It’s their first league loss of the season. It’s also the most goals Hailstorm has allowed in a league match so far.
They entered this showdown with the Owls tied for the USL League One record for consecutive clean sheets to start a season. But Saturday’s start was far from clean.
Hailstorm midfielder Stefan Lukic got booked for the first time in the eighth minute. In the 15th, his second yellow spelled an ejection. It’s the first time a Hailstorm player has been sent off this season.
“Obviously a big change in the game there. Happened quite early on,” Hailstorm head coach Eamon Zayed said. “It felt like we were getting into a bit of a rhythm before that, able to control a bit of the game. Then, obviously, having a man sent off changes the picture.”
Moments before the second yellow, Hailstorm defender Arthur Rogers ripped a free kick that threaded through the Omaha wall. It forced their keeper Rashid Nuhu to dive to his right for the save, one of his three on the night.
That shot on target was Northern Colorado’s only one before the break. As a whole, Omaha outshot Hailstorm 9-3 in the first half, and the visitors entered halftime down two goals. Omaha defender Junior Palacios converted a free kick opportunity in the 35th minute. Then, in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Owls forward Noe Meza scored on a world-class chest-down bicycle kick to double the lead.
It grew to three when Meza scored again in the 56th minute. But Hailstorm weren’t going away that easily.
After being subbed on to open the second half, Hailstorm forward Trevor Amann amped up the blue and white attack immediately.
He converted a breakaway chance after an Omaha mistake in the 60th minute for his club’s first goal. In the 81st minute, Amann flicked home a header during a set piece opportunity served up by Rogers. It turned into Rogers’ second assist of the season, not to mention Amann’s second brace of his Hailstorm career.
Considering all competitions, seven of the club’s nine goals have been scored by a substitute.
“Our team has lots of depth and good players. There’s competition for every spot, so starters or subs have the quality and ability to score in any game,” Amann said. “Right now, the subs are coming on to change games, and it’s good to see that.”
Despite a fight and furious effort, Omaha held firm in the final moments to take three points. Hailstorm, on the other hand, are taking at least some solace in the perseverance displayed by the lads in this one.
“When things aren’t going your way, it’s easy to take the mentality of the victim. But the guys didn’t have that attitude,” Zayed said. “They stayed strong and continued to fight. Those are big moments as the season progresses, where guys can look around the locker room and know that they have each other’s backs. It’s a big character-building moment.
“Proud of the effort that they had in the end, but we were all disappointed with how the match turned out.”
Hailstorm get plenty of rest before their next match, a road trip to League One newbie One Knoxville SC on Saturday, May 13. It will be the first-ever matchup between the two clubs.
Kick off from Regal Stadium is scheduled for 5 p.m. Mountain Time. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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The future home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex, will feature 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 leagues, tournaments, events and more.
More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com.