WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will begin their quest for the Double when they take on Spokane Velocity FC in a USL League One Quarterfinal match on Saturday at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium.
“It’s a one-off playoff game, a knockout game. Anything can happen in one of those games and that’s a scary thought,” Hailstorm head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Saturday’s match will be the sixth knockout match for Hailstorm this season. They advanced to the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and won a pair of knockout matches en route to lifting the USL Jägermeister Cup in September.
“We’re the only team that have come through a playoff system, semifinals, finals, penalties and come up on the right end, so I’m hoping that helps us,” Zayed said.
This will be the fifth meeting between Hailstorm and Spokane this season, with Hailstorm emerging victorious in three of the previous four. They took a pair of 3-1 victories in the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage and got a 1-0 victory in a league match in Windsor on October 19.
Hailstorm’s two leading scorers, Bruno Rendon and Ethan Hoard, have each netted a pair of goals against Spokane this season, with Jake Keegan scoring the winner in the teams’ most recent matchup.
The USL League One Playoffs for Hailstorm kick off at 7 p.m. Mountain time Saturday at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium.
The Forecast: Hailstorm Host Spokane in Playoff Opener
