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USL-1 North Carolina FC

RailHawks drop first leg 1-0 at Vancouver

September 25, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


BURNABY, B.C. - The Carolina RailHawks neutralized Charles Gbeke, the lumbering Vancouver Whitecaps forward who led the USL-1 in scoring this season, Thursday night at Swangard stadium.

The problem proved to be his second-half replacement.

Twenty minutes after taking over for Gbeke, Randy Edwini-Bonsu scored the game-winning goal in the 77th minute to deal the RailHawks a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their USL-1 quarterfinal. In a one-goal hole, the RailHawks must win Sunday's return leg at WakeMed Soccer Park by two goals in order to advance to the semifinals.

"I thought we played really well," said Carolina coach Martin Rennie. "The main thing is the performance. You obviously want the result at this stage, but we performed well. Their goal came out of nothing really. It's disappointing to lose a goal, but I was happy we were in the game. Now we know we have to go home and score, and that's what we would have expected anyway. We're looking forward to getting back home and having a go at it Sunday."

On the game-changing play, Vancouver's Marlon James and Carolina's Brad Rusin went up for a 50-50 ball. Rusin won the challenge, but the ball took an awkward bounce off the turf and Edwini-Bonsu pounced on it in stride. Carolina goalkeeper Caleb Patterson raced out to challenge, but the speedy Edwini-Bonsu beat him to the ball, touched it by him and tucked it into the open net.

It was an unfortunate bounce, but as Rennie said, "that's the way it goes."

Aside from the goal, the RailHawks allowed Vancouver little else on the attack. The Whitecaps took a total of 11 shots, but Patterson had to make just two saves all night. In addition to shutting down Gbeke, who's only strong chance was a harmless header easily saved by Patterson in the 34th minute, the RailHawks tracked back and snuffed out any Whitecaps counterattack, and Carolina never wilted despite a torrent of Vancouver set pieces. The Whitecaps had four corner kicks, in addition to several threatening throw-ins by Wes Knight deep in Carolina's end.

While they took only seven shots, the RailHawks didn't go wanting for chances. After a quiet first half for both offensives (only nine shots combined, none of them dangerous), play opened up early in the second.

In the 54th minute, Greg Shields waited for a run develop on the right flank. John Cunliffe rewarded Shields' patience, streaking behind the defense and receiving a ball in space. As the Vancouver defense closed in, Cunliffe manufactured a chance on his favored left foot, but his strike didn't make Jay Nolly (six saves) budge from his line.

In the 60th minute, Luke Kreamalmeyer's clever footwork deep in Vancouver's end drew a foul and free kick just outside the area. Daniel Paladini served a ball in, and while Vancouver won the initial ball, Carolina kept it in their end. But the Whitecaps defense never flinched, and the RailHawks didn't get a glimpse of the goal.

In the 70th minute, Andriy Budnyy danced around the Whitecaps and had the ball eight yards from goal, but as he drew his left leg back for the blast, Vancouver defender Takashi Hirano cleanly tackled away the ball from behind.

Two minutes later, Budnyy played Kreamalmeyer into space, but Kreamaleyer's first touch just outside the area abandoned him, allowing Nolly to easily collect the ball.

"You maybe have a few less chances on the road, so you have to be precise," Rennie said. "We weren't as precise as we'd have liked to have been, but we did have a lot of the ball and a lot of chances. The last bit could've been better. But other than that, it was pretty good."

Though not an ideal start to the postseason, Thursday's result was hardly a crushing defeat.

"Even if it was 0-0, everyone would think that's fantastic, but we'd still have to score at home," Rennie said. "We still have to do the same thing now. Lots of times, if a team loses 1-0 away from home, they feel confident going in to the next game. It's not anything to get scared about. We know what we have to do."

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