WINDSOR, Colo. — Sometimes it helps to have the Golden Boot winner on your side.
Trevor Amann, who set the USL League One record with 23 goals in the regular season, scored a hat trick in his playoff debut to help Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC to a 4-1 win over Forward Madison FC in the first round of the USL League One playoffs.
“I just try to go out there and do my job, and my job is to score goals and help the team win,” Amann said.
After a cagey first half, a collision between Madison goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann and Hailstorm midfielder Nortei Nortey left the ball at the feet of Amann, who scored from the top of the box to give Hailstorm a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute.
“I think that goal was important in terms of easing our nerves,” Hailstorm head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Madison equalized in the 57th minute when Christian Chaney headed home a Stephen Payne cross to make it 1-1.
It took just seven minutes for Hailstorm to take the lead, this time through Arthur Rogers. The league’s Golden Playmaker scored an Olimpico with his corner kick in the 64th minute to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
“The plan was for Rob (Cornwall) or Leo (Folla) to get a touch, but they screened well and thankfully it went in,” Rogers said.
As Madison pushed to find an equalizer late, Amann caught them on the counter twice to secure his hat trick and the 4-1 win.
“There’s not much more I can say about Trevor,” Zayed said. “But I told him before the game that playoff goals almost count double, that’s how important they are.”
With the win, Hailstorm advance to the USL League One semifinals, where they will take on North Carolina FC at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday, October 28 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. 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.