TULSA, Okla. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC was knocked out in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by FC Tulsa, 2-1, on Wednesday.
Hailstorm were down 2-0 at halftime, and got a goal back from midfielder Chelo Martinez in the 64th minute, but they could not find an equalizer in the final half hour.
“Going back to the Rapids 2 game, it had been 10 days since we played, so we were rusty and we were awful in that first half, just like tonight. This time we gave ourselves too big a mountain to climb,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said.
It had been 11 days since Hailstorm’s previous match against Greenville Triumph SC.
Tulsa got on the board first when forward Diego Pacheco converted from the penalty spot in the 38th minute.
The hosts grabbed a second just before halftime when defender Milo Yosef scored a screamer from outside the box, giving Tulsa a 2-0 halftime lead.
Martinez had been on the pitch for less than five minutes when he pulled one back for Hailstorm. He latched onto a pass from fellow substitute Ethan Hoard and curled it into the far post from 17 yards out.
“I thought I’d fancy myself a strike from there and luckily it went in,” Martinez said.
Hailstorm have a much shorter layoff this time as they are back in action Saturday in USL League one play against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.
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The home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature 6,500-seat TicketSocket Park, 2,500-seat 4Rivers Equipment Stadium, 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.