The NASL-leading Carolina RailHawks head to South Florida this weekend to face Ft. Lauderdale, where they’ll be looking to add to their double-digit lead over the rest of the table. 

The RailHawks (14-2-2) enter the weekend 15 points clear of second-place Puerto Rico. This weekend’s match kicks off a grueling stretch for the RailHawks. They’re set to play four games in the next 14 days, with a trip to Puerto Rico on Aug. 13, followed by home matches against Minnesota on Aug. 17 and Ft. Lauderdale on Aug. 20.

The RailHawks have been the NASL’s top team offensively and defensively, all season. They’ve scored a league-leading 39 goals and their goal differential sits at plus-25. They’ve scored multiple goals in 11 of 18 games this season, including three or more on six occasions, and they’ve been shut out just once.

After a brief lull in his goal-scoring, forward Etienne Barbara has once again begun scoring goals at a startling rate. He has scored in back-to-back games and upped his season totals to 16 goals and eight assists, both tops in the NASL. Pablo Campos is tied for second in the league with eight goals. Nick Zimmerman has added five goals, while midfielder Jonny Steele has six assists and Floyd Franks four.

Despite game-to-game changes across the backline throughout July, the RailHawks have remained steady defensively. Their 14 goals allowed are fewest in the league, as is their 0.778 goals against average. They are the only team in the NASL with a GAA under 1.00, and only twice this season have RailHawks allowed more than one goal. Brad Knighton has played all 1,580 minutes of the season in goal, and he leads the league in goals against average, is tied for the league lead in shutouts (six) and is second in saves (77).

The Strikers are sitting six points clear of Montreal for the sixth and final playoff berth, and they trail fifth-place Tampa Bay by only three points. Their 3-0 win over Edmonton last Saturday halted a seven-match winless streak (0-4-3). Forward Brian Shriver was the NASL Offensive Player of the Week last week after scoring two goals against Edmonton. At Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale is 3-4-2 on the year and have outscored their opponents 15-10. They’ve been shut out at home once all season, back on May 28 in a scoreless draw with Montreal. Their 26 goals scored are third most in the league, and they have gotten goals from 14 different players on the roster.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks won their second straight match and their ninth straight at WakeMed Soccer Park last Saturday after defeating Atlanta 1-0 in a match that was abandoned after 50 minutes had been completed.

The match endured three different delays due to severe weather totaling more than two hours. After the third one, the officiating crew and both teams agreed to abandon the match.

Etienne Barbara scored his league-leading 16th goal of the season on a pass from Nick Zimmerman in the eighth minute, and it held up as the difference when the match was called off.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday’s match will be the second of four meetings between the RailHawks and Strikers this season. The RailHawks won the first match 4-2 on April May 11 at WakeMed Soccer Park. They will meet again on Aug. 20 at WakeMed Soccer Park and finish out the season series on Sept. 7 in Ft. Lauderdale.

In their first match, the RailHawks trailed 1-0 after Patrick Otte’s eight-minute goal. But the RailHawks responded quickly, with Pablo Campos netting the first of his two goals in the 17th minute. Etienne Barbara converted a 27th-minute penalty kick for a 2-1 lead, then Campos got his second of the night on the hour mark. David Santamaria drew one back for the Strikers in stoppage time, but the RailHawks’ answered right back with Allan Russell netting one just before full time. Floyd Franks nabbed two assists on the night.

All-time against Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, the RailHawks are 7-1-3 and undefeated in their last seven get-togethers (6-1-0).Since Martin Rennie took over the RailHawks, Carolina has outscored Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 22-4 in six matches.

KNIGHTON NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK

RailHawks goalkeeper Brad Knighton was named the NASL Defensive Player of the Week for Week 17.

Knighton made three saves and picked up his sixth shutout of the season in Saturday’s weather-shortened 1-0 win over Atlanta at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Knighton made his biggest save of the night in the 29th minute. Atlanta’s Willie Hunt flicked on a corner kick to teammate Matt Horth, who was unmarked in front of the goal. Knighton somehow flew across the goal mouth and smothered the chance.

This is the third time this season Knighton has been chosen as Defensive Player of the Week, and it’s the 12th time a member of the RailHawks has been honored as offensive or defensive player of the week.

Knighton has played all 1,580 minutes of the RailHawks’ season in goal. He leads the league in goals against average (0.778) is tied for the league lead in shutouts (six) and is second in saves (77). He’s already broken the club record for goalkeeper wins in a season (14) and he’s on pace to set a new single-season saves record.

NASL LEADERS

Not only are the RailHawks at the top of the NASL table, several players are among the league leaders in a handful of statistical categories.

Forward Etienne Barbara leads the league with 16 goals, eight assists and 40 points.

Forward Pablo Campos is tied for second in the league with eight goals, and Nick Zimmerman is tied for fourth with five goals.

Midfielder Jonny Steele is second in the league with six assists, and midfielder Floyd Franks is tied for fourth with four assists, and midfielder Chris Nurse is tied for fifth with three assists.

Goalkeeper Brad Knighton leads the league in goals against average (0.778), is tied for the league lead in shutouts (6) and is second in the league in saves (77).

PLAYER NOTES

• Etienne Barbara scored his league-leading 16th goal of the season last weekend against Atlanta. He’s now scored twice as many goals as he did in all of 2010.
• Nick Zimmerman picked up his first assist of the season on Barbara’s eighth-minute goal, and he now rates third on the team in points (11).
• Brad Knighton earned his sixth shutout of the season on Saturday and finished the night with three saves.
• With Floyd Franks serving his one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation Saturday, Brad Knighton is the only player who’s  been on the field for all 1,580 minutes this season.
• Floyd Franks missed his first match of the season last Saturday after starting the RailHawks’ first 17 matches and playing every minute of the season to that point.
• John Krause returned to the starting 11 last Saturday after serving a red-card suspension on July 23, and he was pivotal in helping the RailHawks post their sixth shutout of the season.
• Defender Cory Miller started his third straight match last weekend, and he’s appeared in as many matches during the last three weeks as he had in the season’s first three months.

2011 STAT LEADERS

Appearances: Brad Knighton (18)

Starts: Brad Knighton (18)

Minutes: Brad Knighton (1,580)

Goals: Etienne Barbara (16)

Assists: Etienne Barbara (8)

Shots: Etienne Barbara (52)

Yellow cards: Kupono Low (6)

Red cards: Pablo Campos, Jonny Steele, Chris Nurse, John Krause (1)

Saves: Brad Knighton (77)

NASL TABLE

NASL SCHEDULE – WEEK 18

Saturday, Aug. 6

Tampa Bay vs Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta Silverbacks Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.

Carolina vs Ft. Lauderdale, 7:30 p.m.
Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Minnesota vs Montreal, 8 p.m.
Stade Saputo, Montreal, Que.

Puerto Rico vs Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.
Foote Field, Edmonton, Alb.

NASL RESULTS – WEEK 17

Wednesday, July 27

Tampa Bay 3, Edmonton 1
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Saturday, July 30

Carolina 1, Atlanta 0
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.

Ft. Lauderdale 3, Edmonton 0
Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 

Sunday, July 31

Montreal 1, Puerto Rico 0
Stade Saputo, Montreal, Que. 2:30 p.m.

NEXT UP

The RailHawks remain on the road for their next match and they will travel to Puerto Rico to face the Islanders at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon. It will be the RailHawks’ first visit to the Caribbean this season and third head-to-head match of 2011. The teams’ split their first two matches, both at WakeMed Soccer Park. Puerto Rico defeated the RailHawks 2-1 on April 9, while the RailHawks got the better of the Islanders on May 16 by a score of 3-0.

2011 NASL STATISTICS