NASL North Carolina FC

Barbara Sets Club Record, Leads RailHawks to 2-1 Win

Published on May 14, 2011 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


MONTREAL, Canada - The Carolina RailHawks picked up a 2-1 victory in Saputo Stadium on Saturday, on the broad shoulders of league-leading goal scorer Etienne Barbara. With Saturday's victory, the RailHawks sit atop the NASL table with a 5-1-1 record, their best start in club history.

With his two goals on Saturday, Barbara has now scored goals in seven straight games, more than double the previous RailHawks record. With his ninth goal of the season, Barbara has surpassed the club record of eight goals scored in a season, which he set last year.

"Etienne scoring nine goals in seven games is a club record and it is a huge accomplishment," said RailHawks head coach Martin Rennie. "He's off to a great start this season, and the team fought very hard today for a big win."

Barbara was in the mood early, striking in the 8th minute to put the RailHawks on top 1-0. After a successful buildup from the RailHawks midfield, Barbara received the ball from Floyd Franks and unleashed a volley that skimmed off an Impact defender and past Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush.

The RailHawks nearly widened the gap later in the first half, when Barbara spearheaded a RailHawks counterattack. Barbara's initial shot trickled to Zimmerman who played the ball just wide from an offside position. The RailHawks midfield and defense kept the Impact from gaining any sort of rhythm in the first half, entering the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, Barbara picked up where he left off putting the RailHawks on top 2-0 in the 51st minute. After receiving a ball from Jonny Steele, Barbara diced through the Impact defense and beat Bush again. The Impact made things interesting late, when Idriss Ech Chergui received a ball in the box from Simon Gatti, and beat Knighton in the 80th minute, to make the score 2-1.

In the last 10 minutes, the RailHawks tightened up and controlled most of the possession to close out the game.

The Carolina RailHawks (5-1-1) return to WakeMed Soccer Park next Saturday, May 21, to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders at 7:00 p.m.

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