USL-1 North Carolina FC

RailHawks meet Wilmington in Friday friendly

Published on July 2, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


The RailHawks continue their week away from USL First Division play on Friday, when they meet the Wilmington Hammerheads at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7 p.m. Earlier in the week, the RailHawks defeated the Panama National Team 1-0.

It will be the third meeting between Carolina and Wilmington this season and the Hammerheads' second visit to WakeMed Soccer Park in three weeks. The two teams met last month in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup, with Wilmington prevailing 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout following a wild 120 minutes that ended 3-3.

With Tuesday's win over Panama, the RailHawks ended their five-match winless streak (0-3-2), and Carolinia coach Martin Rennie is counting on another strong showing Friday to build momentum for his side when it returns to league play next week.

"Hopefully we can build on the last game against Panama, continue to build and continue to improve and gain confidence from our play, so that's really what we're looking to do," Rennie said. "It should be a good night with the Fourth of July celebrations and so forth, so I'm looking forward to it."

Friday is USO and Military Appreciation Night at WakeMed Soccer Park. All active members of the military will be admitted free with their military ID. Also, a Military Tactical Humvee and a Military Tactical Hummitt (Fire Truck Configuration) will be on display. Kids are welcome to climb on the displays and tours will be given by the U.S. Army during the game.

There will also be a postgame Fireworks show, and fans are invited to join the RailHawks on the field to take watch it.

Finally, the Railhawks are helping Hope Community Church with a food drive which will benefit the food pantry at Ship of Zion Church, which ministers to the elderly and those in need in downtown Raleigh. Bring non-perishable food and paper products and drop them off at the Hope Community Church truck before entering the game. No glass containers, please.

Friday's match will be the RailHawks' fourth friendly of the season. They previously defeated the New England Revolution and Panama 1-0, and they lost 2-1 to the Honduran club CD Olimpia.

SCOUTING WILMINGTON

When the Hammerheads came to Cary two weeks ago, they were 4-3-2 and sitting in fifth place in the USL-1. But the win over Carolina has kickstarted a four-match winning streak, which includes a 3-2 win over first-place Harrisburg and a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.

If they defeat the Charlotte Eagles on Thursday night in Wilmington, the Hammerheads will be tied for first place in the USL-2.

During their winning streak, the Hammerheads have outscored their opponents 10-5.

Wilmington forward Jamie Watson leads the USL-1 in points (16 in 10 games) and is tied for the league lead in goals (seven). Watson also has a goal and an assist in the Hammerheads' three U.S. Open Cup matches.

Midfielder Kenny Bundy has scored two goals and has four assists in USL-2 play, in addition to two goals in the U.S. Open Cup. Forward Jyler Noviello has scored four goals this season for the Hammerheads.

Goalkeeper Darryl Sattler is 6-3-2 in USL-2 play, with five shutouts and a 1.27 goals against average. He has two additional shutouts in the U.S. Open Cup.

Friday's friendly comes in the midst of fixture congestion for the Hammerheads. It will be their seventh match in 20 days, and they have their Open Cup quarterfinal match against Rochester in New York next week on the horizon.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday's friendly will represent the third meeting between Carolina and Wilmington since April. The RailHawks defeated the Hammerheads 2-0 in Wilmington on April 14, while the Hammerheads eliminated the RailHawks from the U.S. Open Cup 4-3 on penalty kicks on June 16.

April 14, 2009: W, 2-0

Matt Watson and John Cunliffe provided the goals - both assisted by Gavin Glinton - as the RailHawks beat the Hammerheads 2-0 at Legion Stadium.

In the 79th minute, after a nice combination of passes, Glinton played a clever back pass to Watson, who rushed on to the ball and smashed it into the goal.

In the 82nd minute, Cunliffe got a goal in his first appearance for the RailHawks. He cracked a left-footed shot from inside of 12 yards that split Wilmington goalkeeper Kyle Polak's legs.

Goalkeeper Caleb Patterson needed to make just two saves to keep his clean sheet. In the fifth minute, he turned away a 30-yard brace from Calem Angus, and in the 24th minute, he stopped a point-blank header from Jyler Noviello.

June 16, 2009: L, 3-3 (4-3 PK)

Playing for the fourth time in eight days, the RailHawks were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup after losing to Wilmington 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout. The match was tied 3-3 after 120 minutes.

Wilmington scored the game's first goal in the 21st minute on a header by Chris Bagley. Carolina responded with Hamed Diallo's equalizer in the 34th minute. The teams played even through the remainder of regulation before trading goals in each 15-minute extra session. Wilmington's Tim Karalexis headed in a corner kick in the 92nd minute, but Brian Plotkin equalized for Carolina in the 98th when he headed in a throw-in from Mark Schulte.

Gavin Glinton appeared to score the game winner in the 118th minute, heading in a throw-in from Schulte, but Wilmington's Kenny Bundy equalized in stoppage time to send the game to penalty kicks. Wilmington made all four of its tries and Hammerheads goalkeeper Darryl Sattler saved two Carolina attempts to deny the RailHawks a third straight trip to the Open Cup's third round.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks ended their five-match slide on Tuesday when they defeated the Panama National Team 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Panama outshot Carolina 13-12, and both team's goalkeepers - Carolina's Eric Reed and Panama's Oscar McFarlane - record five saves.

Carolina midfielder Brian Plotkin scored the game's only goal in the 58th minute.

The play started when defender Caleb Norkus picked off a pass deep in Panama's end. He played the ball into Andriy Budnyy, who then played Luke Kreamalmeyer on an overlapping run. Kreamalmeyer ran the ball down and centered it to Sallieu Bundu before it could reach the end line. But the ball deflected off a Panama defender to Budnyy, who took a shot that hit the near post. The ball deflected out to Plotkin at the top of the box, and Plotkin knocked it in the goal.

RAILHAWKS VS. USL-2

Friday's match will represent the fifth time the RailHawks have faced a team from the USL Second Division. The RailHawks are 3-1-0 in the previous four matches. They beat Richmond 1-0 in the 2007 U.S. Open Cup, Real Maryland 1-0 in the 2008 Open Cup and Richmond 2-1 in the first round of this year's tournament. The only loss was to Wilmington last month.

PLAYER NOTES

*Midfielder Brian Plotkin scored his third goal of the season during Tuesday's 1-0 win over Panama.

*Goalkeeper Eric Reed record five saves against Panama and earned his first shutout since May 22.

*Midfielder Amir Lowery scored the first goal of his five-year professional career in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Puerto Rico. Lowery is one of 12 different RailHawks to score this season, and he is one of five different players who have at least one goal and one assist.

*Forward Aaron King made his first appearance for the RailHawks since the preseason against Panama. King, who was loaned to Wilmington during the month of May and has been rehabilitating an ankle injury since rejoining the RailHawks, played 16 minutes as a second-half substitute.

* Defender Jeremy Tolleson was given the night off on Tuesday, his first rest since entering the starting lineup on May 16. After that start in Miami, Tolleson played every minute (930) of the next 12 matches.

NEXT UP

The RailHawks will have an eight-day break before returning to the field. They will next face the Charleston Battery on July 11 at Blackbaud Stadium. Charleston (7-2-6) enters the weekend trailing Puerto Rico by one point in the USL-1 table, and they are undefeated at home this season (4-0-3). The RailHawks play their next match at WakeMed Soccer Park on July 17 against the Vancouver Whitecaps. That match will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel.

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USL First Division Stories from July 2, 2009


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