Minnesota Topples Carolina Railhawks 2-0 for First Win of 2009 Campaign

June 14, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (Sunday, June 14, 2009) - The Thunder have always been able to play with the best of them and today they proved it with a win over the Carolina Railhawks 2-0. Before the game Carolina was tied for first place, but the Thunder played like they were leading the league. Minnesota is on a two game winning streak and they will be looking to continue their dominance in their upcoming US Open Cup game against the Chicago Fire (PDL). It is the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and the game will be played on Tuesday, June 16 at 7:05 p.m. at the National Sports Center.

Minnesota went one up on the USL First Division co-leaders in the 13th minute. Brian Cvilikas put this ball in the back of the net off of a free kick from Ricardo Sanchez. Cvilikas was in the box eager to score when Sanchez put the ball in play. Cvilikas followed the ball and was able to put his forehead on it as he slipped one past Eric Reed for the first goal of the game.

The Thunder put another ball in the net in the 27th minute. Lawrence Olum snuck a shot through Reed's five hole off of a pass from Rod Dyachenko. Olum's header went straight to the ground but Reed could not follow the shot and he was frantically looking around as the ball trickled between his legs.

The Thunder played to their potential in the first half of play. The Railhawks also played well but the breaks went Minnesota's way. This was by far their best all-around half of the season and they have definitely earned their 2-0 lead.

The Railhawks had an early chance in the second half but it did not play out the way they wanted. Andriy Budnyy cruised in and out of the Thunder defense and went for an unassisted goal in the 46th minute. He was just inside the box when he fired one to the near side of the goal but his shot missed just wide.

Nic Platter foiled another Railhawks attempt in the 73rd minute. Joseph Kabwe had the ball on the left side of the 18 yard box and was looking to get rid of it. He looked for a shot but there was not an open window to shoot through so he sent a cross past the goal toward Brian Plotkin. Plotkin saw an opportunity as he headed the ball on target but Platter caught it to keep the score even.

Reed had to make a diving punch just to knock away another Cvilikas shot in the 77th minute. Cvilikas took the ball in with Dale Weiler on his right ready for a pass but it never came. The defenders took away the passing lane but failed to stop Cvilikas' advance. He took a shot from just inside the box and forced Reed to jump and fully stretch just to get a hand on the ball sending it high and out of play.

The agitation of Carolina's immanent loss started to eat at the team late in the game. Kupono Low threw a hard tackle at Weiler that earned him a red card. The tackle was clearly not aimed at the ball and the referee answered back by sending him off in the 90th minute.

As the clock ran out, Thunder fans roared for Minnesota's first USL First Division win of the 2009 campaign. The Thunder is gaining momentum with their two wins and they now are setting their sights on their next opponent the Chicago Fire (PDL).

"It feels good to finally get a win," said Minnesota defender Andrew Peterson. "We did better defensively this game and we had a lot more direction in the back. We have two consecutive wins and we want to keep the ball rolling."

Minnesota will be looking to continue their tournament aspirations on Tuesday, June 16. The Thunder will be squaring off against Chicago Fire (PDL) and the winner will be challenging the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. All tickets for the second round game are $5. For individual tickets, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or for group tickets call the Thunder office at 651.294.4664.



USL First Division Stories from June 14, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central