Northern Colorado FC ends up with a 1-1 draw at Forward Madison

Northern Colorado FC would have preferred an away win but a draw will work for now.

The Hailstorm (5-6-7) parted ways with Forward Madison FC (6-4-7) Saturday night in Wisconsin. Neither team moved in the standings, with NoCo staying in 9th with 22 points and Madison in 5th with 25 points.

Aggressive play was the name of the game at Madison, with both teams making early shot attempts and each getting multiple yellow cards.

The Flamingos took two free-kicks within the first four minutes of the game – one of which was repelled by Hailstorm goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda – and received their first yellow card shortly afterwards.

Forward Madison was called up to an awkward play from behind against NoCo defenseman Rob Cornwall that could easily have been compared to aiming in American football.

Hailsturm forward Irvin Parra had a shot on goal in the 23rd minute and backed up with a header in the 30th minute. It was his first goal in the game – not from a set piece – since late June.

Northern Colorado made several more close-range attempts throughout the game. In fact, four of his five shots were on target.

The visiting team took the lead into the locker room, but the Flamingos didn’t back down.

Forward Madison made a shot early in the second half, but Peñaranda was able to save it again and keep the goal conceded.

However, that didn’t last. Madison equalized in the 63rd minute. The goal was in the bottom left corner and came from long-range, well outside the box.

Both teams kept trying to score, hoping for the coveted three points.

The Flamingos attempted to cross the box for their second goal, but defender Arthur Rogers deflected it over the net. Striker Lachlan McLean also made a shot in added time that almost went into the net but was saved at the last second.

The game was physical the whole time. Midfielder Daniel Scally was booked in the second half after some shoving. Other midfielders Owen Damm and Destan Norman received yellow cards – although Norman could have been sent off – for bad fouls with less than five minutes of play.

Also, midfielder Marky Hernández had to be taken out for a medical for part of the first half and McLean took a penalty to the head late in the game.

In the end, neither team could prevail. The Flamingos finished with 11 shot attempts with four on target. NoCo also had 16 interceptions, 16 tackles and 24 clearances.

The Hailstorm will return home against Richmond on August 2nd at 7pm. The team will play eight of their last 12 games at home, now taking place at Severance High School through the end of the season. The Future Legends Complex is slated to open next year.