Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC 2, Richmond Kickers 0
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 0 | |
| NORTHERN COLORADO HAILSTORM FC | 2 | 14′ Sabella (Folla), 84′ Amann (Opara) |
WINDSOR, Colo. — The Richmond Kickers (4-3-5, 17 pts) fell on the road 2-0 to third-place Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (5-1-3, 18 pts), Wednesday night.
Wednesday night’s match marked the first time the two sides have met at Northern Colorado’s new stadium at Future Legend Complex.
The hosts struck first in the 14th minute. Hailstorm’s Leo Folla received the ball near the center circle in his own defensive half. He pinged a ball from right to left to forward Valentin Sabella who found some space as the ball dropped to him in the box. One-on-one with the keeper, Sabella picked the correct side and slotted his chance.
Richmond would nearly strike back in the 28th minute. Michael Hornsby made a penetrating run up the left and ripped a cross in front of the goal mouth toward the far post to Kharlton Belmar who was draped by his marker. The NoCo defender would get his foot to the ball first and knock it out for a corner.
Earning the opportunity to play just an hour from his hometown, Denver native Will Palmquist got the start in between the pipes for Richmond marking his first since April when he stepped in for Akira Fitzgerald who was on paternity leave.
Palmquist made a pair of saves in the 39th and 40th minutes to shut down NoCo’s attempt to double their lead. First, the keeper calmly stayed on his line to stop a headed shot from a corner before going to ground to stop a shot from outside the penalty area.
Down only one coming out of halftime, the Kickers pushed for their equalizer and nearly found it in the 59th minute.
Hornsby dribbled up the wing and played a through ball to halftime substitute Matthew Bentley who stopped the ball at the backline. His defensive marker thought the ball fully crossed the line out of bounds, but Bentley kept it in play and dribbled deeper into the box. The forward ripped a shot from close range which forced a quick save from the keeper at the last second.
However, as Richmond continued to push for an equalizer, the hosts found an opening to double their lead late in the 84th minute.
After NoCo forced a turnover in their defensive half, the league’s leading scorer Trevor Amann received a through ball up the left wing on the counter from Lucky Oparra. The striker cut the ball inside before shooting back towards the near post and finding the back of the net.
The match would end soon after as Northern Colorado got its first-ever win over Richmond. The Kickers lead the overall series 2-1-2
The Roos’ road trip continues this weekend as they head to Fresno, Calif. To face Central Valley Fuego FC on Saturday, June 9. Kickoff for the match is set for 10:30 p.m. ET.
The Kickers return home on Saturday, June 17th to host Forward Madison FC during Pride Night presented by Black Pride RVA and VA Pride. The doors at City Stadium are set to open at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
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