Photo courtesy of Trev Hillman/Union Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. — Second half goals from Billy King and Bruno Rendon propelled Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC to their first-ever win at Union Omaha, taking home a 2-1 victory in USL League One action.
It was Omaha’s first loss in USL League One play since July 2023, and their first loss at Werner Park since May 2023.
“To be the first team to come here and beat them in league play, I think it shows the potential of this group,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Hailstorm had chances in the first half, notably from Bruno Rendon and Jackson Dietrich, but Omaha got on the board first in first half stoppage time when forward Pedro Dolabella headed home a corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
However, just a minute later Omaha’s Missael Rodriguez fouled Hailstorm defender Lucky Opara, earning himself a second yellow card and giving Hailstorm a man advantage for the second half.
It did not take long for Hailstorm to make the advantage pay off, as Opara’s cutback found King, who came on at halftime and scored his first goal of the season to make it 1-1 in the 54th minute.
“Great to get the first goal of the season for myself,” King said. “We just need to build from here and keep moving up the table.”
The winner for Northern Colorado came just as quickly as a long ball from David Garcia left Rendon one-on-one with Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu and he scored what proved to be the winner in the 62nd minute.
“It feels amazing, man. Everything I do is for the team, so keep working hard and onto the next game,” Rendon said.
Hailstorm held the short-handed hosts without a shot in the second half while taking 12 of their own, five of which were on target.
“I’m delighted with the three points,” Zayed said. “It’s only three points, but it shows the standard, the quality within this group.”
Northern Colorado will now return home and resume play in the USL Jägermeister Cup against Central Valley Fuego FC at 7 p.m. June 8 at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium.
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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.