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USL1 Union Omaha

Owls' Wings Get Clipped in Tempestuous Loss to Hailstorm

June 3, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release


PAPILLION, Neb. - Union Omaha's final unbeaten streak came crashing down in a loss to Northern Colorado Hailstorm, handing them their first loss in USL League One this season.

While they held the lead late in the first half, Missael Rodríguez's sending-off threw a wet blanket on their momentum, and by the 62nd minute the ill-tempered match had been flipped on its head.

"At the end of the day we gotta keep working and stick to our gameplan," said defender Blake Malone afterwards. "We have to try to commit to what we want to do with and without the ball. Unfortunately, tonight we weren't able to get it done, but we build, we learn, and we move on to the next."

Despite early struggles in the league, Hailstorm had momentum going into this match from their group-topping form in the Jägermeister Cup. It showed early on, with 60% of the possession through the first half hour. Union Omaha struggled to play progressively, with a 75% passing accuracy undermined by a mere 42% rate in NoCo's half of the pitch.

Neither side fashioned many clear-cut chances, though, other than a dangerous counter that saw Hailstorm's leading scorer Bruno Rendón blast the ball into the side netting.

The first twist, then, came deep into stoppage time. Joe Gallardo whipped an outswinging corner kick into the fray, and Pedro Dolabella made a marauding run in front of a mass of bodies to thump the header home. Against the run of play, the home team had their lead and, if they held out, a much happier stroll through the tunnel once the whistle blew.

Sadly, it didn't quite end up that way. Mere seconds after play restarted, Rodríguez lunged late on Lucky Opara to earn a second yellow and an early halftime break. Opara then got into it with Gallardo, and his second shove sent the Owl sprawling to the turf as tempers flared at each other and the referee. The final result: bookings for Opara, NoCo goalkeeper Lalo Delgado, Omaha attacker Lagos Kunga, and a red card for one of the Hailstorm assistant coaches.

Suddenly the halftime break became a much-needed time to blow off steam and recalibrate, for both teams.

While the Búhos had to try and see the match out, Hailstorm used that downtime to plot how to turn the tables. The answer, evidently, was through a pair of goals that put the linesmen to the test.

In the 54th minute, Noah Powder spun away from Marco Milanese's challenge, sliding who else but Lucky Opara in on the flank with a run that appeared to have just stayed onside. Opara, playing like a man scorned, stretched to stab the ball ahead to an on-rushing Billy King, and at point-blank range he stuffed it past Rashid Nuhu for the equalizer.

Eight minutes later, the Owls pushed up as Lagos Kunga tore forwards with the ball. Once he was dispossessed, though, there was enough space behind for Bruno Rendón to land a Cessna, much less bring the long ball down and slide it into the far corner. Nuhu, arms wide, exhorted the linesman for justice, as he believed Rendón to be well offside, but it fell on deaf ears.

Head Coach Dom Casciato simply lamented this stretch of play. "I think we struggled to manage that period right after halftime after going down to ten men, and obviously we were made to pay for it. I think it's something we can learn from and move forwards from."

Blake Malone provided some heroics to keep his side in the match not long after, in a sequence where he cleared a shot off the line before taking a tumble to block the follow-up as well.

However, despite the Owls kicking up a notch in intensity, their huffing and puffing came to no avail. They even held the possession edge in the second half as Hailstorm bunkered down to protect their lead, but in a frustrating match all-around, only the home team were truly left to rue the night once the final whistle blew.

Malone spoke about their opponents post-match, having played them for the second time in a month. "Hailstorm is a good team. They've got some real attacking threats and always like to impose themselves on the game. When the time comes [to play them] we want to make sure we're prepared, taking the right steps to make a gameplan that can counter what they look to do. Hopefully we can get it done [next time] when the time comes."

Until then, the Owls take to the skies to finally head to southern Tennessee, taking on Chattanooga Red Wolves for the first time this season on June 5th. Their next USL Jägermeister Cup match will be on June 13th, when they look for revenge against Spokane Velocity. It will be an action-packed match all over, between our first Unified Series match post-game and it being our Pride Night match as well.

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