March 6, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC News Release
Albuquerque, N.M. – Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC wrapped up its third week of preseason action with a combative 2-2 tie on the road against USL Championship side New Mexico United on Saturday.
For the second week in a row, the new USL League One club went into its preseason match shorthanded, with striker Lachlan McLean and another incoming signing both yet to arrive in the country, goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda still nursing a niggling knee injury, and two trialists sidelined due to non-covid-related illness.
Hailstorm made just one change to the lineup that started against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on February 26, with Ethan Vanacore-Decker returning from injury and starting at left wing over Marky Hernández.
The visitors took the lead in the 24th minute when Stefan Lukic got the ball off a turnover, beat two New Mexico players, and then drove the ball home past Alexander Tambakis, one of the top USL Championship goalkeepers in 2021.
Hailstorm took a 1-0 lead into halftime and made just one substitution at the break, bringing Hernández on for Vanacore-Decker. Two minutes into the second half, Hernández ripped off a powerful shot from the edge of the six-yard-box that Tambakis parried into the back of his own net for an own goal that gave Northern Colorado a 2-0 lead.
Hailstorm made its second substitution at the 50-minute mark, bringing Colorado native Trevor Amann on for forward Irvin Parra.
New Mexico scored its opening goal in the 56th minute through Neco Brett, a new signing who finished 2021 as the fifth-best goal scorer in the USL Championship with Birmingham Legion.
At that point Northern Colorado made another three substitutions, bringing Shane McFaul, Leo Folla, and Jerry Desdunes on for Nortei Nortey, Rob Cornwall, and Daniel Scally.
Striker Chris Wehan scored for New Mexico to tie the match in the 72nd minute, and Hailstorm made its final substitution shortly thereafter when a trialist came on for Danny Robles.
In a match that saw each team pick up a yellow card and New Mexico lose Tambakis to a wrist injury in the second half, six minutes of added time were played with both teams pressing hard to find a winner. New Mexico came the closest when they were awarded a free kick inside Northern Colorado’s penalty area, after the referee judged Hailstorm defender Brecc Evans had made a back pass to goalkeeper Thomas Olsen. Olsen blocked the New Mexico shot though, and when the hosts tried to score on the rebound Lukic cleared the ball out of bounds.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will return to action at 6:30 p.m. on March 12 when they play Pueblo at the Real Colorado Soccer Complex in Englewood. This begins a stretch of matches that are open to the public and free to attend, with Peak XI at 7:00 p.m. on March 18 at Lafayette’s Centaurus High School, and Colorado Rapids 2 at 3:00 p.m. on March 20 at Jackson Stadium, also to come in the next two weeks.
Hailstorm FC will play its first competitive match on April 6 when they face Switchbacks in Colorado Springs in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, before heading to Virginia to play Richmond Kickers in their USL League One opener three days later.
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