GREELEY, Colo. – After six USL League One matches and nine in total on the road, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC played their first home match in club history. On Wednesday night, they hosted North Carolina FC at Jackson Stadium in Greeley, CO.
Hailstorm Homecoming: Northern Colorado Draw North Carolina Behind Irvin Parra Goal and Rob Cornwall Defending
Hailstorm had the better start but it was the visitors who opened the scoring. Showkat Tahir got the ball in the middle of the pitch with space and time. He took two touches and shot. Goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda got a hand to it but could not keep it out of the back of the net. That galvanized North Carolina who controlled play for the next ten minutes.
“It did [catch me off guard]. I’ll be honest, I feel like I should have done better on it. The ball moved,” said goalkeeper Peñaranda post game.
SHOWKAT STRIKE ⚡
The young Londoner scores the first of his career to position @NorthCarolinaFC on top!#NCOvNC // #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/JqSL9fOw7y
— USL League One (@USLLeagueOne) June 9, 2022
Irvin Parra tied it up in the 37th minute. In transition, Ethan Vanacore-Decker switched the field to an open Parra. The No. 10 chested the ball and half volleyed it over goalkeeper Will Pulisic. The half ended 1-1 with Northern Colorado getting several more looks on goal.
“I knew it was going in the back of the net. Before I got the ball, I knew where the goalkeeper was positioned. It’s the only thing I was thinking about,” Parra told Last Word on Sports.
The game tighten in up a way in the second half with fewer chances, but higher quality looks for both sides. Parra and Arthur Rogers combined on a corner that saw Parra head the ball right at Pulisic ten minutes in.
North Carolina had a shot cleared off the line three minutes later. Peñaranda rushed back to the far post to make the save. Parra and Trevor Amann combined to nearly score in the 70th but the ball was cleared just in time.
Rob Cornwall saved a point for Hailstorm in the 85th minute. North Carolina had back-to-back shooting chances from the middle of the box. Cornwall blocked and cleared the second one on what would have been a wide open goal were he not in position. The match ended 1-1 with NC shutting up shop.
Overall, disappointed not to get the win. We started off slow. After that we did play well. I don’t think we did well enough to break them down. A draw was a fair result,” Hailstorm manager Éamon Zayed said after the match.
Watch this goal. Now watch it again. 😱@thegreatraul‘s absolute 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙚 has @nocohailstormfc level in its home opener!#NCOvNC // #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/uRqHt84tav
— USL League One (@USLLeagueOne) June 9, 2022
Three Key Takeaways:
Parra scoring, others not so much: Zayed called it the USL Goal of the Week if not Goal of the Month. Parra now has four goals in seven league games. He’s been goal dangerous, he’s created shots for others. Daniel Scally’s been a live wire on the right flank, but hasn’t had the finishing product. They’re getting the ball into good areas, but outside of Parra, the execution has not been there.
Quantity vs. quality: Hailstorm had more of the ball and more shot attempts, especially in the first half. However, the two best looks at goal belonged to North Carolina. Their goal was fortuitous though, as Zayed and his keeper admitted. It was a professional and hard fought road point.
Work in progress: Captain Rob Cornwall called Hailstorm a good group of individuals who are becoming a team. Peñaranda said they are getting one percent better every week. The tactical ideas and mentality are getting better. Zayed is still frustrated with the results. The team still has time with more home matches to play and several games in hand on the rest of USL League One.
Photo courtesy of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.
