WINDSOR, Colo. — Irvin Parra’s first minutes on the Future Legends Field pitch could not prevent another first for Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, a home loss as they dropped a 4-3 result to Lexington SC.
“It was great to see Irv back,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Parra came on for defender Noah Powder in the 82nd minute with the match tied 3-3, it was his first appearance for Hailstorm FC in more than four months after he underwent three rounds of chemotherapy to treat testicular cancer.
“Today, for me, it’s just a blessing to get a couple minutes in,” Parra said.
An early strike from Lexington gave the vistitors a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute when forward Ates Diouf intercepted a pass and fired a shot past Hailstorm goalkeeper Lalo Delgado.
Hailstorm fought back through Golden Boot leader Trevor Amann latched onto a long ball from defender Lucky Opara, cut onto his left foot and beat Lexington keeper Amal Knight to equalize in the 28th minute,
Amann grabbed his brace and gave Hailstorm the lead just after the weather delay, heading home a Marky Hernández cross in the 37th minute, just after the game had resumed after a weather delay of more than an hour.
Hailstorm grabbed a third just after halftime as Billy King put one in from the top of the box for his eighth goal of the season.
Unfortunately the lead would not hold as Lexington scored three goals in the final 25 minutes, two of which came from Diouf, including the stoppage time winner for Lexington. The loss is the third in a row for Hailstorm after a 12-match unbeaten run.
“We had that run because we were a hard team to play against,” Zayed said. “I’m sure every team would like to play against us right now.”
Hailstorm will look to right the ship next week as Union Omaha visits Future Legends Field on Saturday, August 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time.
“I can’t wait for more, and the next time for sure is going to be a W,” Parra said.
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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.