June 21, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC News Release
GREELEY, Colo. – USL League One added two expansion teams last off-season. Tomorrow will be the first time the newest clubs square off as Central Valley Fuego FC make the trip to Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. The club from Fresno has only lost two of its first ten league matches, losing only once in their last five games.
Central Valley hit the ground running to start their season. The goals have been shared around with four players having two or more goals. Villyan Bijev has seven goals across all competitions. Fuego has the best conversion rate this season in USL League One at 19 percent, scoring 14 goals in ten games.
There is consistency in goal for Central Valley. Keeper Ofek Antman has started every game of every competition this season. Antman was named to the USL League One Team of the Week in Week 8 last month. He has also been one of the better keepers this season, with 24 saves and four clean sheets in Fuego’s ten matches.
Unbeaten when playing in the state of Colorado, the Hailstorm look to continue their form close to home. A man generating many of the offensive chances this season is defender Arthur Rogers. He has created 11 chances in the nine league games, including two that played a major role in last weekend’s trip to Richmond. Rogers assisted a Rob Cornwall goal from a free kick and served up another free kick that Cornwall used to set up fellow defender Leo Folla for another goal.
Keeper Johan Peñaranda has stood tall in his first five games in goal this season, making 12 saves and holding one clean sheet thus far. Despite the loss last time out Peñaranda has helped the club pick up six points in five matches.
Kickoff on Wednesday is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MDT at Jackson Stadium in Greeley, Colorado. Expect the temperature to be in the 80s at kickoff with 10 mph winds. The game, as with all USL League One games this season, will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will play its home matches in the 6,500-seat TicketSmarter Stadium at the Future Legends Complex, the premier destination for sports and events in Northern Colorado. Tickets for home matches in the months of June and July are now available online. June home matches will be played at the University of Northern Colorado’s Jackson Stadium. Home matches in July will be played at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium.
Opening in 2022, the 118-acre Future…