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NASL North Carolina FC

Match Preview: Carolina RailHawks at FC Edmonton

June 7, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


Edmonton, AB (June 7, 2014) - The Carolina RailHawks (4W-2T-2L, 14pts) take to the road as they travel to Canada to face FC Edmonton (1W, 2T, 5L, 5pts) on Sunday, June 8th at 4:00pm ET. The Spring Season finale will be broadcast online at NASLlive.com.

"It's a big match this weekend," said Colin Clarke, RailHawks head coach. "Every point matters with the new postseason format. Edmonton is always a tough place to come away with points. We've been playing well on both sides of the ball and look to continue the momentum."

The trip will be the RailHawks first to Edmonton and the first time the clubs have gone head-to-head in 2014. In 12 all-time matches against Edmonton, the RailHawks have the advantage with a 7W-3T-2L record. In matches played in Edmonton, the RailHawks record is 1W-3T-2L.

Away from WakeMed Soccer Park the RailHawks have managed to capture six points in the six away matches, but it has been a stark contrast to their performances against Edmonton at home. Six home matches at WakeMed Soccer Park have produced 14 goals scored as compared to the six goals scored in Edmonton.

The RailHawks defense led by goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald has seen a run of strong performances with 4 consecutive shutouts. Fitzgerald has twice been named NASL Player of the Week in the 9-week Spring Season. The current streak of 373 minutes without allowing a goal is the third longest streak in club history. The current streak is only behind two shutout streaks from 2099 of 499 minutes and 566 minutes.

FC Edmonton is coming off a heart breaking 1-0 loss to rival Ottawa Fury on a 90th minute goal from former RailHawks forward Tom Heinemann.

RailHawks Notes

RailHawks Advance to Fourth Round of U.S. Open Cup

The RailHawks will have advanced to host the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the third consecutive year and will face Major League Soccer's Chivas USA on June 14th at 8:00pm. Prior to the match, the RailHawks will hold a watch party for the England-Italy World Cup match in the East hospitality area. The RailHawks advanced in the annual knockout-style tournament after a dominating 2-0 win over the Charlotte Eagles. Goals by Nazmi Albadawi and Jun Marques Davidson gave the RailHawks the lead and a shutout performance by Scott Goodwin sealed the victory. A win over Chivas USA would mean the RailHawks will host the winner of the LA Galaxy-Arizona United match on June 24th.

Home Unbeaten Streak at 21 matches

The RailHawks home unbeaten streak climbed to 21 matches after Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The home unbeaten streak extends over 17 NASL matches and 4 U.S. Open Cup matches. Tampa Bay was the last team to claim a victory at WakeMed Soccer Park in the NASL Playoff Semifinal Round on October 6, 2012. Only Tampa Bay and Atlanta have registered a point at WakeMed Soccer Park, both 2-2 draws, during the 21 match run.

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