CARY, N.C. – Pablo Campos scored two goals Saturday night to help deliver the RailHawks a club record 17th win of the season and place them on the doorstep of the NASL regular-season championship after their 2-0 win over Tampa Bay.

With the RailHawks’ win and Puerto Rico’s 2-0 loss in Atlanta Saturday night, the RailHawks pushed their lead in the table to nine points. They can clinch the regular-season championship on Wednesday with a win or tie in Ft. Lauderdale.

“We’re really close,” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “The thing is, you’ve got to play the next game and get the results. Our focus is doing as well as we possibly can in the regular season. Since the start of the season, we’ve tried to win every game that we play, and we have won a lot of games. That’s a record for the franchise, and we want to make it a record that’s going to be really hard for any team to ever catch. We just have to focus on winning.”

On Saturday, the focus was on Campos. It was his third multi-goal game of the season, and he’s now tied for second in the NASL with 11 for the year. He opened the scoring in the 19th minute when he headed in a corner kick from Kupono Low.

He nabbed his second of the night in the 38th minute. Matt Watson sprung Brian Farber free down the right side. Farber played the ball back into the area, where Campos redirected it past Tampa goalkeeper Jeff Attinella.

“Luckily, I helped my team,” Campos said. "When they need me, I’ll always be there."

Played opened up over the final 40 minutes after the RailHawks’ Etienne Barbara and Tampa Bay’s Andres Arango were both sent off after the two skirmished. Barbara received a straight red for his role, while Arango, who was cautioned a minute earlier, saw his second yellow of the night.

With both teams down to 10 men, the RailHawks had several chances to bag a few more goals. Campos had two strong chances to complete his hat trick, but he was stonewalled by Attinella in the 68th  and 70th minutes. Cory Elenio was denied in the 72nd minute, and Watson hit the post in the 85th.

While Campos provided the spark in the front, the RailHawks’ reshuffled rearguard held firm. New signing Tyler Lassiter paired with last week’s newcomer Gareth Evans in the middle, while Floyd Franks returned to right back for the first time since July 23. Despite their unfamiliarly as a unit, they held Tampa Bay to just seven shots – two on target – more than half their per game average. Brad Knighton was called on to make two saves while picking up his eighth shutout of the season.

“That gives us something to build on,” Rennie said. “I think we’re improving at the right time.” 

Indeed they are. The RailHawks have won three in a row and unbeaten over their last four matches (3-1-0). And they’ve regained their form as they’re about to embark on a grueling three-match road trip that will take them to three cities in 10 days. They’ll got to Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday, then on to Montreal on Sept. 11, then Puerto Rico on Sept. 17 before returning to WakeMed Soccer Park to close out the regular season on Sept. 24.

CAROLINA 2, TAMPA BAY 0

LINEUPS
TB: GK Jeff Attinella, D Andres Arango, D Frankie Sanfilippo, D Takuya Yamada, D Kwame Watson-Siriboe, M Keith Savage, M Mozzi Gyorio, M Tsuyoshi Yoshitake (Jeremy Christie, 72nd), M Chad Burt (Kerry Baptiste, 72nd), F Warren Ukah, F Aaron King
CAR: GK Brad Knighton, D Floyd Franks, D Kupono Low, D Gareth Evans, D Tyler Lassiter, M Tony McManus, M Matt Watson, M Nick Zimmerman (Stephen Glass, 81), F Brian Farber (Cory Elenio, 69), F Pablo Campos (Allan Russell, 74), F Etienne Barbara

SCORING SUMMARY
CAR: Pablo Campos (Kupono Low), 19
CAR: Pablo Campos (Brian Farber), 38

CAUTIONS
TB: Shane Hill, 46; Andres Arango, 49; Kerry Baptiste, 88
CAR: Floyd Franks, 65

EJECTIONS
TB: Andres Arango, 50
CAR: Etienne Barbara, 50

SHOTS
TB: 7
CAR: 20

FOULS
TB: 15
CAR: 9

ATTENDANCE: 3,015