WINDSOR, Colo. — Not even a 90-minute weather delay or an early 2-0 deficit could stop Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC from extending their unbeaten streak to eight as they took a 3-2 win over Charlotte Independence on the Fourth of July.
“If I’m being completely honest, I knew that we had this (comeback) in us,” Hailstorm midfielder Arthur Rogers said.
Charlotte got on the board first with a long-range shot from midfielder Ryan Djedje in the 15th minute, giving Hailstorm their first ever deficit at Future Legends Field.
The Jacks doubled their lead seven minutes later when Dane Kelly found himself on the end of a through ball and slotted past Hailstorm keeper Lalo Delgado.
“When there’s these lightning delays and you don’t start the game as planned, it’s typical that a team starts off slow. I actually spoke about taking advantage of them, but it was us,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said.
However, Hailstorm erased the deficit just as quickly, getting their first goal when Arthur Rogers’ corner ricocheted off of Charlotte defender Nick Spielman and into the net for an own goal, cutting the Northern Colorado deficit to 2-1in the 38th minute. Hailstorm then equalized after Charlotte keeper Austin Pack fouled Valentín Sabella in the penalty area and Trevor Amann converted the ensuing penalty for his ninth goal of the season.
“The two goals gave us a wake-up call and then we started to play and we took control of the game,” Zayed said.
It was one-way traffic toward Pack’s goal in the second half, as Hailstorm dominated both possession and in shot attempts. It finally paid off for Northern Colorado in the 70th minute, again from a corner and again through Amann, who became the first USL League One player to 10 goals this season when he headed Rogers’ corner past Pack at the near post to give Hailstorm a 3-2 advantage.
“I scored one almost exactly like that against Omaha,” Amann said. “That’s probably my favorite spot to go on corner kicks and I was lucky that Arthur put it there and I headed home.”
Hailstorm will look to continue both their unbeaten run and their climb up the USL League One table Saturday night when they visit Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Mountain time.
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The 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.