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Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Stuns Real Salt Lake

By USLLeagueOne.com Staff, 04/20/22, 11:15PM EDT

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The League One expansion side took down the MLS club on the road in just its fourth-ever match


The League One expansion side took down the MLS club on the road in just its fourth-ever match | Image Credit: Ashley Potts, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC

SANDY, Utah. - On the second night of the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, expansion side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC became the second USL League One club to defeat an MLS opponent, taking down Real Salt Lake 1-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium. In just its fourth competitive match of its existence, the Hailstorm bested an MLS club on the road, advancing to the Round of 32.

The match was dominated by RSL, but the Northern Colorado defense limited each and every attack from the home side. The Hailstorm's defensive backline – comprised of Brecc Evans, Leo Folla, Rob Cornwall and Denso Ulysse – won a combined 12 of 17 ground duels and eight of 10 aerial duels. With just one shot on target on the evening, Northern Colorado made it count as the veteran captain Robert Cornwall unleashed a sensational volley from the top of the penalty area to stun the RSL faithful. Despite nine minutes of stoppage time, the visitors held on to its one-score advantage, earning Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC one of the most impressive victories in League One history.

“This one is even sweeter,” said Head Coach Éamon Zayed, “I'm so, so proud of our players tonight. They brought everything, every ounce of effort, every ounce of fight. They were solid; we talked about it, and we had a game plan. We wanted to remain compact and hard to break down.”

Scoring Summary
NCO – Cornwall (McLean) 70'

Full Box Score


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