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USL-1 North Carolina FC

RailHawks close out road schedule Tuesday at Puerto Rico

September 8, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


With a 5-4-5 away record this season, the RailHawks have already established new club records for away wins (five) and away points (20) in a season. If they're going to add to those totals in their final regular-season road match on Tuesday, they must overcome a mighty Puerto Rico side that's been nearly unbeatable at home.

At Bayamón's Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, the Islanders are 10-1-3 and they've outscored opponents 27-11 this season. Away from home, Puerto Rico is a modest 3-4-5 and have been outscored 12-9.

Beating the Islanders on their own field is challenging enough - the RailHawks are 0-3-0 in three previous trips to Bayamón - but the task will be even more so for the RailHawks without Martin Rennie leading the way. The Carolina coach will serve a one-match ban after he was sent off in the second half of the RailHawks' 1-0 loss at Montreal last week. Assistant coach Brian Irvine will handle in-game management in Rennie's absence.

Tuesday's match, which kicks off at 8 p.m., will be the first of two meetings between Carolina and Puerto Rico this week. They will meet again on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7 p.m.

With history not on their side, and without Rennie on the sideline, the RailHawks are also going to Puerto Rico looking to bounce back from their first loss in more than a month. The RailHawks had their nine-match unbeaten streak snapped in Montreal last week, their first defeat since July 24. Carolina has not lost back-to-back league matches since falling 2-0 at Portland on May 2 and 2-1 at home to Charleston on May 9.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the RailHawks (14-6-7, 49 points) enter the week in second place in the USL First Division, six points behind leader Portland. Puerto Rico (13-5-8, 47 points) is in third place.

SCOUTING PUERTO RICO

While the Islanders have the home field in their favor Tuesday, their schedule is working against them. With USL-1 regular season games, a USL-1 quarterfinal playoff series and CONCACAF Champions League matches, Puerto Rico will play 10 games in the space of 23 days. They got that stretch off to a good start with a 2-0 win over Rochester on Sunday.

During the course of the season, the Islanders have found themselves trailing just five times at home for a total of 114 minutes. They went 3-1-0 in those games. Portland is the only team to have had much success in Bayamón. The Timbers took four points from a two-game swing in May, while Rochester and Cleveland earned points for scoreless draws.

After spending the month of July on the road, the Islanders returned home in August and have since gone 4-0-0 in USL-1 play and outscored the opposition 10-1.

The Islanders' 36 goals are fourth most in the USL-1, and they feature several threatening attackers. Defender Cristian Arietta's 22 points (nine goals, four assists) are tied for third most in the league, while backline partner John Krause has scored four goals. Forward Nicholas Addlery has six goals to his credit, and midfielder Jonny Steele has three goals and two assists. Forward Sean Fraser has three goals and an assist, and midfielder Josh Hansen has scored three goals.

Goalkeeper Bill Gaudette leads the league in saves (110), is second in shutouts (11) and wins (13) and his 0.760 goal against averages rates fourth. He also leads the team in minutes played (2,250).

SERIES HISTORY

The Islanders are the only team in the USL First Division the RailHawks have never defeated. Carolina is 0-5-1 in six all-time meetings with Puerto Rico, and the Islanders have outscored the RailHawks 11-2.

Tuesday's match will mark the second of three meetings between Carolina and Puerto Rico this season. They will close out their season series on Friday at WakeMed Soccer Park.

In this season's first meeting, a 2-1 Carolina loss on June 27 in Cary, Amir Lowery gave the RailHawks a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute. Lowery's goal, the first Carolina had scored on the Islanders in 199 minutes dating back to July 22, 2007, gave the RailHawks their first-ever lead against Puerto Rico. It lasted two minutes. Puerto Rico's Jonny Steele equalized in the 42nd minute, and Petter Villegas scored the game-winning goal in the 63rd.

In Puerto Rico, Carolina is 0-3-0 and has been outscored 7-1 all-time.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks had their franchise-best nine-match unbeaten streak halted last Wednesday in Montreal, falling 1-0 to the Impact at Saputo Stadium. Montreal's Leonardo Di Lorenzo scored the game's only goal in the 11th minute, the earliest goal the RailHawks conceded since June 14, when Minnesota scored 13 minutes in. The RailHawks nearly equalized in added time, but Daniel Paladini's half volley from the top of the area struck the right post. The RailHawks took eight shots and had 10 corner kicks, but they were unable to find the back of the net and were shut out for only the seventh time this season.

INSIDE THE STREAK

During the nine-match unbeaten streak, the RailHawks:

- Went 5-0-4 and earned 19 of a possible 27 points in the table

- Scored 21 goals on 107 shots

- Allowed two goals on 99 shots

- Posted seven shutouts, including five in a row

- Made 37 saves

- Had eight different players score goals

DID YOU KNOW?

Puerto Rico is the only USL-1 team to ever beat the RailHawks after trailing 1-0? The Islanders scored two unanswered goals after Carolina's Amir Lowery gave the RailHawks a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute of this season's first meeting. When scoring the first goal in league play, the RailHawks are 30-1-7 all-time.

PLAYER NOTES

*Midfielder Amir Lowery is the only active RailHawk to have scored against the Islanders in a Carolina kit. *After allowing two goals against Puerto Rico on June 27, goalkeeper Caleb Patterson has allowed a total of two goals in six subsequent starts. *Midfielder Daniel Paladini hit the post in the 90th minute at Montreal last Wednesday, the seventh time he's hit the ironwork this season. *Defender Mark Schulte is closing in on the top 10 all-time minutes played list for the RailHawks. At 2,441 minutes (in USL-1 and U.S. Open Cup), Schulte currently rates 11th on the club's all-time list. *Midfielder Matt Watson made back-to-back starts and played 90 minutes in both matches in Montreal, the first time he's started consecutive matches since a three-match run June 14-19.

STAT LEADERS*

Goals: Sallieu Bundu (7)

Assists: Daniel Paladini (5)

Minutes: Mark Schulte (2,711)

Shots: Daniel Paladini (58)

Fouls: Amir Lowery (42)

*includes USL-1 matches, U.S. Open Cup matches and five friendlies in 2009

CAROLINA VS USL-1*

The following are the RailHawks' team statistics for the year and in parentheses is where they rank in each category compared to the rest of the USL First Division.

Shots: 302 (4th) Shots allowed: 280 (4th) Goals scored: 39 (2nd) Goals allowed: 16 (10th) Saves: 89 (9th) Shutouts: 16 (1st) Times shut out: 7 (T-10th)

*based only on USL-1 matches

2008 VS 2009 SEASON COMPARISON

Through 27 games in 2008: 7-11-9, 30 points, 29 GF, 39 GA, 5 SO

Through 27 games in 2009: 14-6-7, 49 points, 39 GF, 16 GA, 16 SO

USL-1 HONORS

Team of the Week

Week 2: Jack Stewart, Josh Gardner

Week 3: John Gilkerson, Brian Plotkin

Week 4: John Gilkerson

Week 6: Devon McKenney, Luke Kreamalmeyer

Week 7: Daniel Paladini, Kupono Low, Andriy Budnyy

Week 8: Kupono Low, Daniel Paladini

Week 11: Matt Watson

Week 14: Caleb Norkus, Sallieu Bundu

Week 15: Gregory Richardson

Week 16: Gregory Richardson

Week 17: Joseph Kabwe, Kupono Low, Gregory Richardson

Week 18: Caleb Patterson

Week 19: Caleb Patterson, Jeremy Tolleson

Week 20: Jeremy Tolleson

Week 21, John Cunliffe, Joseph Kabwe

Player of the Week

Week 1: Mark Schulte

Week 16: Gregory Richardson

Week 17: Joseph Kabwe

USL-1 SCHEDULE - WEEK 23

Monday, Sept. 7

Portland 1, Austin 0

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Rochester at Miami, 8 p.m. Carolina at Puerto Rico, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 9

Vancouver at Montreal, 7:45 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 10

Puerto Rico at Minnesota, 8:05 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 11

Miami at Charleston, 8 p.m. Austin at Portland, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Puerto Rico at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 13

Miami at Rochester, 3 p.m. Minnesota at Montreal, 3:45 p.m. Austin at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Cleveland at Portland, 8 p.m.

USL-1 STANDINGS

Portland 15-2-10, 55 points

Carolina 14-6-7, 49 points

Puerto Rico 13-5-8, 47 points

Charleston 12-5-10, 46 points

Montreal 11-10-6, 39 points

Rochester 10-9-8, 38 points

Vancouver 9-9-9, 36 points

Miami 8-14-4, 28 points

Minnesota 6-12-9, 27 points

Austin (-2) 4-16-8, 18 points

Cleveland 3-17-7, 16 points

NEXT UP

The RailHawks will close out the regular season with two matches at WakeMed Soccer Park. They will face the Islanders again on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park, then play their regular season finale against the Montreal Impact on Sept. 18.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics



USL First Division Stories from September 8, 2009


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