WINDSOR, Colo. — After suffering their first league defeat last time out against Union Omaha and an off weekend last week to regroup, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC look to get back on track Saturday in their first ever matchup against One Knoxville SC.
“We’ve only played four games compared to other teams who have eight and seven,” Hailstorm FC head coach Eamon Zayed said. “Hopefully with some tweaks to training over the last 10 days we will not go into the game rusty.”
One Knoxville SC are in their first season in USL League One, but have a veteran League One goalscorer in forward Jake Keegan. Keegan’s two goals for Knoxville this season bring him to 24 career goals in the league.
Knoxville got their first USL League One win in a season-opening matchup against fellow newcomers Lexington SC on March 18, a 2-1 victory. They currently sit in seventh in the league table with eight points through their first six games.
“They have a lot of possession, good footballers on their team, so we have to keep our shape and be aggressive,” Hailstorm captain Rob Cornwall said.
Knoxville have kept their first two clean sheets of the season in their last two games, a 1-0 win over Central Valley Fuego FC and a 0-0 draw with Forward Madison FC. Meanwhile, the Hailstorm FC attack has been finding its footing of late despite losses in their last two games. They got a brace from substitute forward Trevor Amann last time out in a 3-2 loss to Union Omaha.
“We’ll look to start strong,” Zayed said. “Energy levels should be there and hopefully we can get an early goal.”
The game against One Knoxville SC kicks off at 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday at Regal Stadium in Knoxville and will be streamed 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.