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USL-1 North Carolina FC

RailHawks wrap up road trip in Cleveland

May 21, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


The Carolina RailHawks wrap up their three-match road trip with two matches this weekend.

The RailHawks will face the Cleveland City Stars at 8 p.m. on Friday, a match that will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel. On Sunday, the RailHawks will meet the Austin Aztex at 7 p.m. Both matches will represent the first time the RailHawks have played either team.

Carolina (4-2-1) enters the weekend locked in a three-way tie for first place with Rochester and Charleston at 13 points. The RailHawks look to continue their fine road form from a week ago, when they beat Miami 2-0 in South Florida thanks to two goals by Luke Kreamalmeyer.

"Wins on the road are always precious," said Carolina coach Martin Rennie. "And both of these teams play on quite tight fields, which changes the game a little bit. Both games, the first goal will be important."

If history is any indication, Rennie is spot on. The RailHawks are 4-0 when they score first this season and 0-2 when they surrender the first goal. Cleveland is 1-0 when it scores first and 0-3 when it allows the first goal, and Austin is 1-0 when it scores first and 0-1-3 when it allows the first goal.

INJURY REPORT

Defender Jack Stewart (ankle), midfielder Brian Plotkin (foot) and forward Gavin Glinton (hamstring) are all out for this weekend.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND

At 1-3-1, Cleveland enters the weekend in 10th place in the USL First Division. The City Stars started the season with three straight losses before playing Portland to a scoreless draw on May 9 to earn their first point of the year. Cleveland picked up its first USL-1 victory last Saturday with a 1-0 win at Minnesota.

After allowing nine goals in their first three matches, the City Stars enter Friday's game having shut out their last two opponents (Portland, Minnesota).

The promoted City Stars have found goals a bit harder to come by since their move up to the USL-1 for USL-2, where they played the previous two seasons. Josh Boateng's 63rd-minute goal on Saturday was the City Stars' second of the season and first in 366 minutes of play.

Goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap is among the league leaders in saves (25). He posted 11 against Portland on May 9, an effort that earned him USL-1 Player of the Week honors. In last weekend's win over Minnesota, Gilstrap had seven saves on his way to a second straight clean sheet.

Though the City Stars haven't conceded any goals in their last two outings, they're still giving up a lot of shots. Through five matches, they've been outshot 83-27. In the scoreless tie with Portland, the Timbers took 24 shots. Furthermore, after taking eight shots in their first game, the City Stars have had no more than five in their subsequent four outings.

SCOUTING AUSTIN

At 1-1-3, the expansion Aztex enter Sunday's match with the RailHawks in a seventh-place tie with Miami in the USL-1.

After starting the season unbeaten through their first four matches (1-0-3), the Aztex suffered their first loss last weekend in Montreal. The Impact walloped Austin 4-0, scoring more goals on Sunday than the Aztex had allowed in their previous four matches (three). Also, all four goals came in the second half.

But Austin was shorthanded in that match, and the Aztex could remain so this week. They lost forward Gifton Noel-Williams and goalkeeper Sam Reynolds to injury, and this week they lost Eddie Johnson, their leading scorer, and Gareth Evans. Both had to return to England to wait for their work permits to be approved.

Austin's unbeaten start occurred with four games at Nelson Field, where they have outscored the opposition 6-3.

LAST TIME OUT

The Carolina RailHawks snapped their three-match winless streak with a 2-0 win over Miami in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday. Midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer scored a pair of goals - his first two of the season - to lead the RailHawks' attack. Kreamalmeyer scored in the 40th and 58th minutes, marking also the RailHawks' first away goals of the year. Goalkeeper Eric Reed notched his second shutout of the season.

GOING HOME

Friday's match in Cleveland will represent a homecoming of sorts for a number of RailHawks.

Martin Rennie coached the Cleveland City Stars the last two years while the organization was in the USL Second Division, guiding them to the league title in 2008. Defenders Mark Schulte and Jeremy Tolleson played for Rennie the last two years in Cleveland, while goalkeepers Caleb Patterson (2007) and Eric Reed (2008) and forward Sallieu Bundu (2008) played one season for the City Stars.

Also, defender Devon McKenney grew up just outside of Cleveland in North Olmstead, Ohio, and he played at the University of Akron.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Carolina midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer and defender Devon McKenney were named to the USL-1 Team of the Week for Week 6.

Kreamalmeyer scored two goals in the RailHawks' 2-0 win at Miami on Saturday, while McKenney's play on the backline helped the RailHawks earn their fourth shutout of the season.

"Luke with his two goals, he's been dangerous a lot this season and hopefully he'll score more," said Carolina coach Martin Rennie. "And Devon's just an outstanding prospect. He's young, he's learning and he's so athletic. I think he's understanding the game better and better."

This marked the third time this season the RailHawks have placed two players on the USL-1 Team of the Week. Josh Gardner and Jack Stewart were honored in Week 2, while Brian Plotkin and John Gilkerson were named to the team in Week 3.

STEWART OUT 2-3 MONTHS

Carolina defender Jack Stewart will be out for eight to 12 weeks after breaking his right fibula in the 2-0 win at Miami.

Just before halftime Saturday night, Stewart went down for a tackle, and as he tried to swing his left leg through the tackle, his right foot got caught in the turf and buckled.

"My ankle just stayed and my whole body was coming up and across. I just popped it," Stewart said. "I heard a big crack. I was hoping it was just a ligament, but I've never heard a ligament snap that loud. So I feared the worst."

Stewart had surgery on Thursday morning, and four screws and a plate were inserted to repair the fracture. He's hoping to be back on the field in eight to 10 weeks, though he's been advised it could be as long as 12 before he's fully healed.

Stewart started in six of the RailHawks' seven matches to date and played 432 minutes. He helped the defense post four shutouts and a .714 goals against average.

DID YOU KNOW?

Six different RailHawks have been named to the USL-1 Team of the Week this season, tying them with three other teams for the league high (Charleston, Rochester and Vancouver have also had six different players honored). They are Jack Stewart, Josh Gardner, Brian Plotkin, John Gilkerson (twice), Luke Kreamalmeyer and Devon McKenney.

USL-1 STANDINGS*

1. Carolina RailHawks 4-2-1, 13 points

1. Rochester Rhinos 4-2-1, 13 points

1. Charleston Battery 3-0-4, 13 points

4. Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2-2, 11 points

5. Portland Timbers 2-1-2, 8 points

5. Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1-2, 8 points

7. Austin Aztex 1-1-3, 6 points

7. Miami FC Blues 2-4-0, 6 points

9. Montreal Impact 1-3-2, 5 points

10. Cleveland City Stars 1-3-1, 4 points

11. Minnesota Thunder 0-4-2, 2 points

*as of 5/21/09

USL-1 SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 20

Miami FC 0, Charleston 1

Friday, May 22

Portland @ Puerto Rico, 7 p.m.

Carolina @ Cleveland City, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 23

Rochester @ Charleston, 7:30 p.m.

Miami FC @ Minnesota, 8:05 p.m.

Sunday, May 24

Portland @ Puerto Rico, 7 p.m.

Carolina @ Austin, 7 p.m.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics



USL First Division Stories from May 21, 2009


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