WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC were crowned the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup champions with a 5-4 win in a penalty shootout over Forward Madison FC after drawing the match 1-1 in regulation.
Hailstorm goalkeeper Lalo Delgado’s save of Jacob Crull’s penalty in the fourth round of the shootout proved to be the difference as Hailstorm claimed their first trophy in club history.
“I said before the game I didn’t care how we won it, but I do not want to go through penalties again,” Hailstorm head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Madison struck first when midfielder Wolfgang Prentice found forward Christian Chaney near the top of the penalty area, and Chaney fired a shot past Delgado, giving the visitors the lead in the ninth minute.
“After I gave up the goal in regulation, I was like ‘I’ve got to win this in penalties,'” Delgado said.
It took just three minutes for Hailstorm to find a response, Ethan Hoard’s knockdown found USL Jägermeister Cup leading scorer Bruno Rendon, who scored his ninth goal of the tournament to make it 1-1 in the 12th minute.
“One of the best goals I’ve scored this year, along with the one against Spokane,” Rendon said.
Despite both teams having chances as the half went on, the teams went into the break with the 1-1 scoreline intact.
Hailstorm dominated the second half, out-shooting Madison 10-4 and holding the visitors without a shot on target, but could not find a winner in regulation and sending the match to penalties.
“In the second half, I feel like we really turned the screw and went for it, similar to the semifinal,” Zayed said.
In the shootout, Hailstorm’s penalty takers were flawless, with Pat Langlois, Marky Hernández, Noah Powder, and David Garcia all converting from the spot before Hoard came through with the championship-winning penalty.
“Some people wait years in their career to win a trophy, and I got one in my first season, it feels unbelievable,” Hoard said.
Hailstorm Win 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup
