Sports stats



NASL North Carolina FC

RailHawks Shine against Scorpions

July 18, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


Cary, NC (July 18, 2015) - The Carolina RailHawks (2W-1D-1L, 7pts.) defeated defending league Champions, the San Antonio Scorpions (1W-1D-2L, 4 pts.) 3-2 in an impressive display of soccer at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday night.

"It's never easy but we will take the three points," said RailHawks head coach Colin Clarke. "I thought we picked it up in the second half and did a great job of passing the ball to get the win at home."

Both teams came out with aggressive play, creating opportunities in the first five minutes of the match. Goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald made two saves to keep the Scorpions off the board and the score remained deadlocked at zero. As the first half continued, the RailHawks defense stifled the Scorpions aggressive offense with several well-executed tackles from defender Daniel Scott.

In his first start of the fall season, forward Nacho Novo had a stunning first half performance. The Spanish legend sliced his way up the left side of the pitch and sent a brilliant cross to midfielder Neal Hlavaty in the 22nd minute. Hlavaty took the cross and ripped the ball home to give the RailHawks a 1-0 advantage. Just two minutes later, Novo controlled a rebound and rifled a shot past goalkeeper Daryl Sattler to stretch the lead to 2-0.

The Scorpions worked hard to respond and were finally able to get on the scoreboard with a goal from former RailHawks player César Elizondo in the 35th minute. As the half ended, the Scorpions stayed aggressive and searched for the equalizer but the RailHawks defense did not allow another goal and went into the half with a 2-1 lead.

Novo added on to his masterful performance in the second half with another goal off a penalty kick in the 67th minute. This was Novo's sixth goal of the season and after his fantastic play, he is now tied for second in the NASL in goals scored with FC Edmonton's Lance Laing. The Scorpions added a penalty kick goal of their own in the 75th minute and nearly tied the match with a free kick in the 90th minute. However, the great free kick attempt was overshadowed by an amazing save from Akira Fitzgerald and the RailHawks picked up three points at home.

The RailHawks will continue NASL play on Sunday, July 26th as they travel to Canada to face off against Ottawa Fury FC.

The RailHawks will return to WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, August 1st at 7:30 PM to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

RailHawks flex plans for the remainder of the 2015 season are on-sale. Flex plans can be redeemed for tickets to any of the remaining NASL home matches and start at $55. The full RailHawks home schedule can be viewed here.

For more ticket and game information, visit CarolinaRailHawks.com/STH. To order, visit CarolinaRailHawks.com or call the Johnson Maserati Box Office at 919-459-8144.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the North American Soccer League message board...

North American Soccer League Stories from July 18, 2015


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