By: Henry Krueger
A well-placed penalty kick from Luis Gil in the first half proved enough for Spokane Velocity FC to hold off Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC for a 1-0 victory on Saturday at ONE Spokane Stadium.
Gil’s goal extended Velocity FC’s (2-1) winning streak to three games, which includes a U.S. Open Cup victory over Ballard FC last Wednesday. Northern Colorado (0-1-1) is still searching for its first win following its third-place finish in USL League One last season.
Velocity applied early pressure on Hailstorm goalkeeper Edward Delgado, who had to fend off multiple scoring runs in the first 15 minutes. A big chance came when Romain Métanire delivered a cross to Pierre Reedy, whose header from the six-yard box missed just right of the goal in the 13th minute.
The club’s front line continued to attack aggressively, and a golden opportunity arose in the 35th minute after Gil was fouled in the penalty area by David Garcia, who received a yellow card. Gil placed his penalty kick in the lower left corner of the goal, past the outstretched hands of Delgado.
As the Hailstorm tried to even up the score, Velocity’s defense held strong and kept its opponents off the board before halftime. Defender Marcelo Lage was heavily involved in shutting down the Hailstorm, recording three interceptions and six clearances in the first half.
“We knew that they play pretty direct, so we just wanted to win the first initial ball, make contact with their biggest strikers and pick up the loose balls in the midfield,” Lage said on Velocity’s defensive gameplan.
The Hailstorm didn’t waste time setting up chances in the second half, finding Jake Keegan downfield on the left wing in the first minute after play resumed. Keegan’s shot from just outside the six-yard box was challenged by Lage and deflected out of bounds by goalkeeper Carlos Merancio.
The back line withstood several more attacks but kept the Hailstorm scoreless for the remainder of the game to seal the win. The Hailstorm have been shut out in both of its league matches this season after being the highest-scoring team with 64 goals in 2023.
“We gotta give credit to the defense as well, especially playing against a team that’s so direct,” Gil said of the defense. “They gotta absorb so much pressure from the big boys up top.”
Velocity will travel to North Carolina to face the Charlotte Independence at 4:30 p.m. this Thursday, March 28. The Independence have only played one match in USL League One competition, losing 2-1 against One Knoxville SC.
Following its trip to the East Coast, Velocity returns home to play the Los Angeles Force on April 3 in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the nation. It will mark the first time ONE Spokane Stadium will host the event.
“It’s incredible,” said Velocity head coach Leigh Veidman of the U.S. Open Cup. “I think it’s the first time it’s been to the city, so it’s going to be really cool to have all the fans who haven’t experienced it and have a decent team in LA for us, and Open Cup games are traditionally difficult.”
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