Recap: Northern Colorado bests One Knox 4-2 on Tuesday night
The Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (8-1-5) went to Regal Stadium on Tuesday night and got the better of One Knoxville SC (5-5-7) in a 4-2 shootout.
Even with an Angelo Kelly brace, One Knox couldn’t stop the Hailstorm, who scored a goal in the first ten minutes of each half and added two more. While One Knox was able to cut the lead to one goal twice, they couldn’t break through with an equalizer.
“A lot of players are going to walk away tonight and feel as though they’ve not done themselves justice,” head coach Mark McKeever said after the match. “We didn’t perform to our potential tonight.”
The Hailstorm were the first to get on the scoreboard early. Defender Arthur Rogers played a long ball over the top to forward Trevor Amann, who chipped goalkeeper Peter Swinkels to give them an early 1-0 lead. It was Amann’s league-leading 12th goal and the fourth goal One Knox has given up in the first 15 minutes this season.
Northern Colorado then continued to pour it on. In the 20th minute, midfielder Bruno Rendón scored a header off a set piece to extend the lead to 2-0. It was the second shot of the game for either team.
One Knox was the next to respond. In the 34th minute, midfielder Angelo Kelly scored his first goal of the season with a flying header off a cross from defender James Thomas.
In the last 15 minutes of the first half, One Knox had 62.1% possession and outshot the Hailstorm three to one to go into halftime with momentum. Throughout the half, both teams only had three shots each and split 52.9% to 47.1%, favoring Knoxville.
To start the second half, Northern Colorado struck immediately. Rogers put a ball into the box on a free kick to record his third assist of the match, setting Rendón up for his second goal of the game to extend the Hailstorm’s lead to 3-1.
One Knox responded just minutes later. Kelly dribbled past the defensive line to net his second goal of the night, making the score 3-2 in favor of the Hailstorm. Despite conceding early, One Knox held 67.4% of possession to start the half.
“Angelo has been there all season grafting in the trenches,” McKeever said. “He’s a grafter. He has special moments and had those two special moments tonight.”
One Knox had a majority of possession in the second half, but they couldn’t find a way to equalize late. To attempt to energize the attack, McKeever brought on newly signed forward Giovanni Calixtro to provide a spark. He played 13 minutes but couldn’t push One Knox over the line. However, McKeever sees him as a critical piece to this squad.
“We think he can help us moving forward and help with the depth of the squad,” McKeever said. “He’s dynamic in a sense where he can play inside, outside, in the nine, and in the ten. He’ll add a little extra spice to the squad.”
Unfortunately, Northern Colorado put the game away in the 89th minute thanks to a goal from Billy King. The game ended 4-2 in the Hailstorm’s favor.
One Knox remains eighth in the table with 22 points and 17 games played, while Northern Colorado jumped to the top of the league with 29 points and two games in hand on the second-place team.
One Knox is looking to bounce back on the road, facing the Greenville Triumph on Saturday, July 15th at Paladin Stadium. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ at 7:00 pm.