CARY, N.C. — After 12 matches and nearly three months unbeaten, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC dropped their mid-week clash against North Carolina by a 2-0 score.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” Hailstorm acting coach Colin Falvey said. “Moreso to lose the game tonight than the unbeaten run ending.”
Despite the loss, Hailstorm FC (10-2-5, 35 points) still has a four-point lead atop the USL League One table.
It looked like North Carolina (9-4-4, 31 points) would get on the board first when they were awarded penalty, but Hailstorm goalkeeper dove to his right and saved Garrett McLaughlin’s effort in the 20th minute, keeping the score 0-0.
NCFC did get on the board just before halftime when a Louis Perez free kick snuck past Delgado at the near post, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead at the break.
The second half brought a Hailstorm onslaught of Trevor Mulqueen’s goal, with Northern Colorado taking 10 shots after halftime, but they just could not find a breakthrough as just one of those was on target.
“We arrived in good areas many, many times,” Falvey said. “It was just the final pass, final shot. The quality of the guys up front has been good all year, unfortunately we just didn’t have it tonight.”
North Carolina got their second late in the match as Hailstorm threw players forward looking for the equalizer. Oalex Anderson found himself alone in his attacking third with Delgado in second half stoppage time, scoring his 10th goal of the season to put the match out of reach.
“I thought we actually played quite well,” Hailstorm FC captain Rob Cornwall said. “We got in good spaces, but it wasn’t our night. Just couldn’t finish.”
Hailstorm have a quick turnaround with just two days off before facing Charlotte Independence Saturday at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 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.