Fresh off its victory in the 2024 USL Jagermeister Cup on Saturday night, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC earned a 1-0 victory against Central Valley Fuego FC on Wednesday at Fresno State Soccer Stadium, a result that moved the Hailstorm into the top four in the League One standings with four games to go in their regular season.

Here’s what we took away from a tightly-fought contest in Northern California.

1. ETHAN HOARD’S PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF

Northern Colorado had more possession in the opening half, but weren’t able to turn that into territorial superiority as Central Valley looked the more threatening side overall, testing Hailstorm goalkeeper Lalo Delgado regularly. When the Hailstorm threatened, however, it was the connection between Bruno Rendón and Ethan Hoard that came to the fore once again, with Hoard getting on the end of three chances the visitors carved out.

None of those ended up on target as Central Valley defended the threats well, but when the hosts let their guard down off a corner kick eight minutes into the second half, Hoard pounced. A fine delivery into the top of the six-yard area by Isidro Martinez found Hoard, who won the battle for position to head home his sixth goal of the league campaign and 13th across all competition this season. The 23-year-old only put one effort on target, but it was NoCo’s best chance of the night, and he capitalized.

2. LALO DELGADO COMES UP BIG

Lalo Delgado has had some quiet nights that have led to shutouts this season – see a trio of one-save performances against Greenville, Madison and Richmond over the past three months – but on Wednesday night he came up time and again in an eight-save display that marked his season high in League One play as well as equaling the season-high in league play.

The 26-year-old was particularly key early as Central Valley opened brightly, making two good stops on chances for Fuego’s Javier Mariona and Alfredo Midence before the Hailstorm had attempted their first effort on goal. He ended the night with a -1.22 Goals Prevented mark, which in a one-goal game proved a key difference maker for the visitors as Central Valley pressured to earn a point late on.

3. FUEGO’S PLAYOFF HOPES HAVE DRIFTED AWAY

You couldn’t fault the endeavor from Central Valley on Wednesday night, and the plan they put in place to try and counterattack proved somewhat fruitful in the first half even if it didn’t provide the payoff of a halftime lead it could build on. One of Fuego’s key challenges – as pointed out postgame by midfielder Javier Mariona and goalkeeper Carlos Avilez – have been moments where the team loses focus, which proved costly against Hailstorm.

“We played a good 90 where we didn’t lack a lot of focus, we were locked in and we were definitely paying a lot of attention to the game plan that we came to the game with,” said Fuego midfielder Javier Mariona. “And it is just one of those slip-ups, a set piece the way we conceded is always a tough pill to swallow. We just got to make sure next time that we stay engaged the full 90 minutes, we can’t slip up those 10 little seconds that cost us the game.”

As it is, Fuego can’t quite be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this weekend as it suits up next on October 9 against Spokane Velocity FC, but the side’s run of one point in six games has put paid to the side’s chances of reaching the postseason.