TULSA – Tulsa Athletic opened the 2024 US Open Cup with a 4-1 loss to USL League One pro side Northern Colorado Hailstorm on Tuesday (March 19) night at Athletic Community Field at Hicks Park.
The loss is the first at Hicks Park in three years playing at the facility between US Open Cup matches, NPSL games and UPSL contests.
After a scoreless start for the first 40 minutes, Lucky Opara put the visitors up 1-0 right before halftime with a goal in the 43rd minute.
Only five minutes into the second half, Hailstorm scored for a 2-0 advantage on a goal from Irvin Parra. Two more second half goals upped the margin to 4-0 in the 85th minute.
Rio Mello got Tulsa Athletic on the scoreboard with a goal in the 88th minute on a strike on a free kick.
Bryson Reed started in goal and finished with four saves in the 90 minutes of action. For the contest, Tulsa Athletic held the advantage in possession at 63 percent for the game.
Tulsa Athletic now prepares for the 2024 NPSL season set to begin in May. The green and yellow look to defend their 2023 NPSL National Championship.
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