CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC took its heaviest defeat of the season on Saturday, slumping to a 4-1 loss against Charlotte Independence.
The loss was Hailstorm’s second straight in the span of four days after a 12-match unbeaten run. They also took a 2-0 loss to North Carolina FC on Wednesday.
“The good thing is that we get to run it back against Charlotte in a month, we get to run it back against North Carolina in a month and we’ll be better,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Charlotte got on the board first when Hailstorm FC conceded an early penalty for the second straight game. This time there were no heroics from goalkeeper Lalo Delgado and Dane Kelly put the Jacks in front 1-0 in the 10th minute.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 29th minute when Avionne Flanagan scored from outside the box to make it 2-0, a scoreline that held until halftime.
“It’s been a tough road trip physically, the guys just looked gassed. The heat and humidity has been difficult to adjust to and I don’t think we gave a fair reflection of ourselves over the last week,” Zayed said.
Hailstorm got one back early in the second half as a cutback from Bruno Rendon found Billy King in front of goal and he scored his seventh goal of the season, making it 2-1 in the 49th minute.
Despite several great chances, Northern Colorado could not put an equalizer past Charlotte keeper Austin Pack, and the Jacks took advantage in the 77th minutes when substitutes Gabriel Obertan and Fabrice Ngah connected to put a third past Delgado, making it 3-1 to the home side.
“Obviously pushing for the equalizer we just got picked apart,” King said. “That’s what happens sometimes but the moral of the story is we can’t be going down two goals away from home.”
Five minutes later, Kelly added an insurance goal, his second of the game, to make the 4-1 final.
“Got to take one on the chin and have the humble pie,” Hailstorm captain Rob Cornwall said.
Hailstorm FC will return home looking to snap their two-game losing streak against Lexington SC. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday, August 5 at Future Legends Field.
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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.