South Georgia Tormenta FC and Northern Colorado Hailstorm went head-to-head in a showdown of the storms at Tormenta Stadium drew with a 1-1 score on Saturday, August 17.
A goal in the last 30 seconds of the match tied up the game, giving Tormenta FC another point in the USL League One standings.
Tormenta FC took a high-pressure strategy to the match, continuously pressing the ball up the wings to spur scoring opportunities. Tormenta’s first major scoring opportunity came in the seventh minute when Sebastián Vivas went one-on-one with Northern Colorado’s keeper and launched a shot toward the goal, which was ultimately saved by the keeper.
Tormenta’s midfield remained critically on-guard of any movement from Northern Colorado’s attackers and played a key role in incentivizing attacking plays. Midfielder Aaron Walker took a shot in the 11th minute, but was narrowly collected by Hailstorm.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm saw several scoring opportunities of its own during the first half, despite Tormenta maintaining the majority of possession. Ultimately, the match remained scoreless through the first half.
Tormenta FC’s Curtis Thorn was among one of the substitutions made by Tormenta early in the second half. Thorn’s debut in this match marked his first appearance for Tormenta since the 2022 USL League One Championship, where Tormenta earned its first league championship win.
As the second half kicked off, the match’s intensity increased as each team remained intent on finding a goal. During the second half, a total of six yellow cards were issued in just over ten minutes, including a second yellow card to Haruki Yamazaki, which ejected him from the match. Two of the six yellow cards were issued to the Northern Colorado Hailstorm bench.
In the 79th minute following a foul, Northern Colorado Hailstorm’s Ethan Hoard earned a penalty kick following a foul from team captain Jake Dengler in Tormenta’s penalty area. Marky Hernandez stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty kick, giving Hailstorm the late lead.
In the last 30 seconds of added time, Pedro Fonseca scored his sixth goal of the season, launching the ball past the keeper, following a cross from defender Preston Kilwien.
Fans can watch the Tormenta FC squad in action at 7:30 p.m. on September 1 at Tormenta Stadium as the team takes on One Knoxville in the final group stage match of the Jägermeister Cup. Tickets to the upcoming match can be found here.