Spokane Velocity FC (1-4-2 in Jägermeister Cup play) falters in a 3-1 loss to Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (5-0-2) in the Jägermeister Cup, who have now won four straight in the tournament.
Velocity FC remains a longshot to make the knockout stage, and are eliminated from winning the West Group of the tournament.
“We’re not a finished product by any means, so it was an opportunity for us to continue to grow and develop,” said head coach Leigh Veidman.
The trio of goals scored by Northern Colorado are not new to the club during cup play, as they have averaged as many per match, scoring 21 goals in their seven contests. Their 21 goals are eight more than the club with the second most, Union Omaha.
This loss comes off the heels of a spectacular week for Velocity, with Andre Lewis winning USL League One Player of the Week along with four teammates on the Team of the Week. The club also earned a draw and a win on the road.
The first half of the match saw a scoreless effort for both teams. The two clubs combined for three shots on goal, and one close scoring chance for each.
Velocity’s first-half scoring chance came off a Derek Waldeck cross to Kimarni Smith, whose clean header was sent above the goal. Hailstorm’s first-half chance came from a much tougher look that resulted in Marky Hernandez drilling a shot from outside of the box off of the right post.
“The message at halftime was just being a bit more patient, finding the right times to attack, not just forcing it and turning the ball over, because they’re very good at counter attacks as well,” Veidman said.
After a slow paced first 45 minutes, the latter half of the match began with a bang, as two scores came within the first five minutes of second-half play.
In the 46th minute, the Jägermeister Cup’s leading scorer Bruno Rendon sank his seventh goal of the tournament. The score came off of a cross from outside the top left of the box, where Clarke McCain lofted the ball up just high enough for Rendon to elevate above the rest and send the ball past Velocity keeper Carlos Merancio.
Soon after in the 49th minute, Luis Gil took the ball away from a Hailstorm defender off an errant dribble in Northern Colorado’s third of the field. The successful defensive press led Velocity’s captain into a one-on-one with the keeper before he sent the ball to the far right of the net, evening up the score.
“I was just looking for a response,” Gil said. “I wanted to get [Velocity] on the front foot, and put some pressure on [Hailstorm].”
Gil has been Velocity’s main offensive producer during the tournament, and is tied for third-most goals in the league with four.
The match remained in a stalemate until the 77th minute when Ethan Hoard, the assist leader in the Jägermeister Cup, set up another goal-scoring opportunity. Off a Hoard cross, midfielder Danny Robles set up Noah Powder with a flick-on that resulted in Northern Colorado taking back the lead.
A penalty kick from Hoard later in the contest gave Hailstorm FC their third and final score of the night.
Despite coming up short of a win, Veidman used the match as a chance to give playing time to multiple players who hadn’t started a match this season.
“We had quite a few guys who haven’t gotten many minutes get an opportunity,” Gil said. “But that doesn’t change anything, we still came out with the same mindset.”
Winger Azriel Gonzalez was among several players who received more playing time than usual, with the 23-year-old making his first start of the season and staying on the field for the entire match.
“On a personal note, I’m happy to get my 90 [minutes] for the club,” Gonzalez said. “It’s unfortunate to lose any home match but all eyes are on the league, which we are in great shape in still.”
Velocity will embark on a two-match road trip, starting with a league match against One Knoxville SC on Friday, Aug. 23 and ending with a Jägermeister Cup battle against the Richmond Kickers on Thursday, Aug. 29.
The club will return to Spokane for three-straight league matches, with matchups against Union Omaha (Sept. 4), Central Valley Fuego FC (Sept. 7) and South Georgia Tormenta FC (Sept. 14).