Strikers Ready for Road Test against RailHawks

Published on April 18, 2013 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (April 18, 2013) - The Fort Lauderdale Strikers (0W-1T-1L) will play their second road game of the spring season against the Carolina RailHawks (1W-1T-0L) on Saturday, April 20, at 7:00pm at WakeMed Soccer Park. Fort Lauderdale is coming off a hard fought 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Silverbacks, while Carolina was able to defeat FC Edmonton 2-1 in their home opener last week. The Strikers and RailHawks last met in the first round of 2012 NASL Playoffs when Carolina was able to advance 3-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park.

"We have to continue to work on getting ourselves better," said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore. "It's important to come out of Carolina with some sort of points while continuing to build on getting our soccer better."

Storylines abound this week as the Strikers and RailHawks played some of the most exciting matches of the entire 2012 NASL season. The teams combined to score 20 goals in their five matches. Both regular season games at WakeMed ended in 3-3 draws with eight of the 12 goals scored coming in the second half.

The Strikers could be the healthiest they have been so far this season with 2012 leading scorer Mark Anderson having played last week against Atlanta and a full week of practice under his belt. Off season veteran addition Ivan Guerrero has also practiced with the squad and could see his first action of the season against Carolina as well.

"Our challenge going into Carolina is going to be dealing with a good team. They are fast, they are very well coached and they have a big field. The key for us is going to be staying organized defensively and making sure that we take care of the ball so we can do a better job when we have possession," said Shore.

Fort Lauderdale appeared to be closing in on a hard fought away point in their last match against the Atlanta Silverbacks last Saturday, until the 86th minute when Beto Navarro redirected a long throw in from Shane Moroney to put the Silverbacks on top. Danny Barrera would extend the lead to 2-0 on a counter attack two minutes later and the Strikers were denied a result on the road.

The Strikers' Walter Restrepo seems to enjoy playing against the RailHawks at WakeMed, as the midfielder recorded three goals and an assist in his two games there in 2012.

The RailHawks will look to capitalize on a win in their opening match at home in front of a crowd of 5,033 in Carolina. Austin De Luz found the back of the goal for the home side after 51 minutes with a far post header on the end of a Ty Shipalane cross. Then 20 minutes later, Brian Shriver lifted a stunning 20-yard free kick over the wall and beneath the cross bar to double the lead. FC Edmonton threatened a dramatic comeback with an injury time goal from Massimo Mirabelli, but left it too late to recover.

The match from WakeMed Soccer Park will kickoff at 7:00pm. The game will be streamed live on the Strikers' website, www.strikers.com.

MATCH FACTS:

FTL went 2W-2T-1L against CAR in 2012

FTL is 7W-3T-9L all-time against CAR

FTL is 0W-2T-7L all-time at WakeMed Soccer Park

FTL's first open date will be the weekend of May 4

Last meeting: Sept. 29, 2012 CAR 3 - 1 FTL

NEXT UP

The Strikers return to historic Lockhart Stadium on April 27 for a Florida Derby match against the rival Tampa Bay Rowdies. For all game information and times of matches, visit Strikers.com. Follow the Strikers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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North American Soccer League Stories from April 18, 2013


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