STATESBORO, Ga. — Perhaps the unlikeliest goal of the season came at just the right time for Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, who got a 93rd minute equalizer from midfielder Marky Hernández to earn a 2-2 draw with South Georgia Tormenta FC.
Hailstorm faced a 2-1 deficit in stoppage time when Hernández, all five-foot-five of him, rose up and headed home an Arthur Rogers corner for his third league goal of the season.
“I’m used to it,” Hernández said, pointing out the diving header he scored in Hailstorm FC’s first trip to Tormenta this season, a 3-0 win in April.
It was Rogers’ second assist of the night and 10th of the season, breaking his own single-season club record.
“I thought there was a lot of character shown in the second half,” Hailstorm head coach Éamon Zayed said. “I think it’s a good point.”
Things did not start well for Hailstorm as Tormenta forward Kazaiah Sterling went down in the area in the vicinity of Hailstorm defender Leo Folla, who was called for the foul. Hailstorm keeper Lalo Delgado saved his second penalty of the season, but could not save the rebound and Hailstorm found themselves 1-0 down in the 21st minute.
The Tormenta lead did not last as a Rogers free kick found the head of Trevor Amann to tie things up in the 32nd minute. It was Amann’s league-leading 17th goal of the season.
However, just before halftime Hailstorm conceded their sixth penalty in the last six matches, and this time Sterling did not miss, giving Tormenta a 2-1 lead in the 43rd minute that they would take into the break.
“We need to take the penalty decisions out of other people’s hands, because it feels like every decision is ending in a penalty right now,” Zayed said.
The second half was quiet until the 70th minute when Tormenta were awarded their third penalty of the night and Sterling missed his second penalty of the night, this time off the post. This time, there was no rebound for the home side as Hailstorm cleared the danger, setting the stage for Hernández’s late equalizer.
“In the second half I thought we did a really good job,” Rogers said. “Just got to tidy up the silly mistakes in our own box and we’re heading in the right direction.”
Hailstorm will continue their road trip Saturday at league leaders North Carolina FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Mountain time and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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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.