In the playoffs

Despite Saturday’s loss 2-1 at Ft. Lauderdale, the RailHawks clinched a berth in the NASL playoffs over the weekend after Montreal’s 3-1 defeat to Minnesota.

With nine games remaining 27 points remaining to be earned in the table, Montreal cannot overtake the RailHawks. Seeding remains to be determined, but at the very least, the RailHawks have already earned their spot in the postseason – the third straight year they have moved on to the playoffs and fourth time in the club’s five-year history.

Gut-wrenching losses

While RailHawks losses this season have been few and far between, the three they’ve endured have been startlingly similar. On all three occasions, the RailHawks conceded the losing goal in added time.

On April 9, Puerto Rico’s Jay Needham headed in a corner kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time at WakeMed Soccer Park to hand the RailHawks a 2-1 defeat.

On July 9, Minnesota’s Amani Walker flicked the ball past Brad Knighton in the 90th minute to break a scoreless deadlock, and the Stars won 1-0.

On Saturday, Ft. Lauderdale’s Martin Nuñez hammered 20-yard volley in the second minute of added time to deal the RailHawks a 2-1 loss.

The RailHawks were outshot in all three games by a combined margin of 43-26.

And all three featured a red card, though the RailHawks had players sent off in the first two. On Saturday, Miami’s Abe Thompson was ejected in the 66th minute.

On to Puerto Rico

The RailHawks will make their first trip of 2011 to Puerto Rico next weekend. The Islanders have quietly crept back up the NASL standings, and they sit in second place with 32 points.

Having recently been eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League, the Islanders will no doubt turn their full attention toward catching the RailHawks in the race for the NASL title.

While the RailHawks have led the NASL table comfortably for months, they could see their 12-point lead chopped in half by next weekend. If Puerto Rico wins their mid-week match with Atlanta and then defeats the RailHawks next weekend, Carolina’s lead would stand at six points with eight games to play.

Puerto Rico is unbeaten at home this season (4-3-0), and they’ve outscored their opponents 15-8 at Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel.

However, the RailHawks haven’t lost back-to-back games this season, and they’ve been successful in Puerto Rico. Last season, the RailHawks twice won in Bayamón. And the Islanders will have to battle a bit of fatigue heading into the weekend. After last weekend’s trip to Edmonton – where Puerto Rico won 1-0 – they’ll host Atlanta on Wednesday before the RailHawks’ visit on Saturday.

Extra Time

• The RailHawks’ two shots on goal Saturday were the fewest of the season.
• The loss to Ft. Lauderdale snapped the RailHawks’ seven-match unbeaten streak against the Strikers.
• The RailHawks have allowed more than one goal in just three games this season. Two have come against Ft. Lauderdale.
• With 40 goals scored this season, the RailHawks are just four goals shy of matching the club’s single-season record, which has been broken in each of the last two seasons.
• Defender John Krause scored his first goal of the season Saturday in the 72nd minute, making him the ninth different RailHawk to score a goal this year, and the 48th player in club history to do so.