NASL North Carolina FC

RailHawks Meet Minnesota Friday At Wakemed Soccer Park

Published on April 15, 2010 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. (April 15, 2010) - The RailHawks return to league play on Friday, when they face NSC Minnesota at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary at 7 p.m. The RailHawks enter the match 1-0-0 on the season and are tied at the top of the NASL Conference with Vancouver on three points.

Carolina opened the season last Saturday with a 2-0 win over AC St. Louis. The RailHawks started the match on a tear, scoring two goals in the first 25 minutes, but they saw their possession of the ball and total control of the match dip in the second half.

While Rennie was thrilled with the start to the game and the end result, he expects to see the RailHawks dictate the pace of the match for the full 90 minutes come Friday night against the Stars.

"Obviously we're pleased that last week we played well, especially in the first half, and we got a win," Rennie said. "Now we're looking to capitalize on a good start and get another win at home. It's important to win your home games and we're looking to perform for the whole 90 minutes this time and be pleased with what we've done so we can then enjoy a little break before we start league play again in May."

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

Minnesota comes to WakeMed Soccer Park with an 0-1-0 record. The Stars are playing on the road for the second straight week and are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday at Swangard Stadium. Minnesota was outshot 13-5 in a physical match that featured 34 fouls and six cautions.

The Stars feature a talented attacking duo in forwards Johnny Menyongar and Warren Ukah. The tandem paired together last season in Rochester. Menyongar was the Rhinos' team MVP in 2008 and 2009. Last season, Menyongar was among the league leaders in goals (11) and points (23). Ukah last season scored three goals in 12 matches for the Rhinos.

Minnesota will be without goalkeeper Louis Crayton, who started in net last week and held the Whitecaps scoreless in the first half. Crayton suffered a serious knee injury late in the first half and his return is uncertain.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday's match will be the first all-time meeting between Carolina and Minnesota, and it is the first of two between the teams in 2010. They will square off again on Sept. 15 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks opened the 2010 season with a 2-0 win over AC St. Louis last Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park. Forward Etienne Barbara scored both goals - one in the fourth minute and one in the 25th - to lead Carolina to the season-opening win. Goalkeeper Eric Reed made three saves to record the shutout.

The win marked the second straight season in which the RailHawks won their season opener, and they are now 2-0-2 all-time in season openers.

Also, it was the first time in club history that Carolina has shut out its season-opening opponent. In each of the previous three seasons, Carolina had allowed each opponent one goal.

SPRING IN THEIR STEP

Since the 2008 season, Carolina has been unbeatable in the month of April. Over the last three years, the RailHawks have gone a combined 5-0-1 in the first month of the season, and they have outscored their opponents 8-2 in those six matches.

SECOND TO NONE

The RailHawks are undefeated in the second match of the season all-time, and they've yet to concede a goal in the season's second match. Carolina is 2-0-1 in such games and has outscored opponents 2-0

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

With last week's win over AC St. Louis, Carolina improved to 12-2-2 at WakeMed Soccer Park under Rennie. All-time, Carolina is 20-11-12 in home league matches.

FEARLESS VS. FIRST-YEAR TEAMS

Under Martin Rennie, the RailHawks are undefeated against first-year teams. In seven matches against first-year teams since 2009, Carolina is 6-0-1 and has outscored those teams 13-1.

SHOOT TO THRILL

It's not how many shots you take, it's what you do with the shots you have that counts. Last week against St. Louis, the RailHawks were outshot 8-7, but they won 2-0. Etienne Barbara scored his two goals on two shots. It marked the RailHawks' third win since the start of 2009 that they won a game in which they were outshot. In 14 matches in which opponents have outshot Carolina, the RailHawks are 3-5-6.

BARBARA'S BEAUTY

Etienne Barbara had a splendid start to his Carolina career. The Maltese international scored two goals on two shots to lead the RailHawks to a 2-0 win over AC St. Louis. Barbara fired the opening salvo just four minutes into the match, and he doubled his tally with a world-class finish in the 25th minute. Barbara became the 12th RailHawk in club history to score more than one goal in a game, and his fourth-minute strike was the fastest into a season Carolina as ever scored a goal. With two goals in the opening game, he was asked midweek if he could keep up that scoring pace over the course of the season, which would net him 60 goals come October.

"That would be very nice," he said, laughing. "We'll see about it. This is my job and my target is to score goals. If what you say happens, it would be a miracle."

ELENIO SHINES IN DEBUT

Three days after signing with the RailHawks, midfielder Cory Elenio was in the starting 11 for Carolina against St. Louis. He played 76 minutes and assisted on Etienne Barbara's second goal.

"It was nice we could come in and contribute right away, with how established this team is and how good they were last year," Elenio said. "We wanted to have good first games, and it can only get better from here."

MORE DEBUTS

Defender Matt Bobo and midfielder Marques Davidson also made their RailHawk debuts last weekend. Bobo played all 90 minutes on the backline and was crucial in helping the RailHawks to the shutout, while Davidson entered the match as a substitute in the 76th minute for Elenio and helped the RailHawks see the victory to the end.

WATSON RETURNS

When midfielder Matt Watson checked into last Saturday's match in the 73rd minute, it marked his full return to the. Watson last September suffered a broken ankle in the second-to-last match of the regular season, and he spent the winter rehabbing the injury in order to be fit for the season opener.

"I was glad that coach considered me fit enough and injury free to put me out there," Watson said earlier this week. "It's good just to get some minutes under my belt and it gives me something to push toward - getting more minutes."

The appearance also marked a milestone for the Englishman. Since joining the squad in 2008, Watson has now appeared in 50 matches for Carolina, placing him fifth on the club's all-time caps list.

SHIELDS SHUTOUT

Defender Greg Shields didn't see any time during the preseason, partly because he did not arrive to camp until April 1 and partly because he was recovering from a hamstring injury. But his presence in the starting 11 is a welcome one for Carolina. Saturday's start was Shields' 12th appearance for the team since joining last summer, and the RailHawks have shutouts in nine of them.

"That's quite good," Shields said earlier this week when made aware of that trend. "I'm not taking any of that on myself. That's maybe just the way it is, just a bit lucky. But that is quite a good record."

NEXT UP

The RailHawks step out of league play and will face the Mexican Olympic National Team on Sunday, April 25 at WakeMed Soccer Park. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. They return to league play on May 1, when they will meet the Rochester Rhinos at Marina Auto Stadium in upstate New York. The RailHawks will play their next home league match on Friday, May 14, when they meet the Tampa Bay Rowdies at WakeMed Soccer Park.

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