The Carolina RailHawks (3-1-1, 10 points) return from a two-match road trip to face the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (1-3-1, six points) at WakeMed Soccer Park on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The RailHawks enter Week 6 unbeaten over their last four matches (3-1-0) and tied at the top of the NASL table with 10 points. They have yet to be shut out this season and their nine goals scored are tied for the most in the league.

Forward Etienne Barbara continued his torrid start to the season in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Tampa Bay. He scored in his fifth straight match and finished the night with two goals and an assist. Entering Week 6, he leads the league in goals (six) and points (13).

Ft. Lauderdale comes to the Triangle also unbeaten over their last four matches (1-3-0).  The Strikers are tied for fourth place in the NASL, with six points. They have a striker of their own off to a good start. Eduardo Coudet has four goals through five matches and is tied for second in the league in scoring. Goalkeeper Nic Platter, who played for the RailHawks in 2010, is third in the league with 17 saves.

SERIES HISTORY

Wednesday’s match is the first of four between the RailHawks and Strikers in 2011 and the 11th all-time meeting. Against Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, the RailHawks are 6-1-3 all-time and undefeated in their last six get-togethers (5-1-0).

Since Martin Rennie took over the RailHawks, Carolina has outscored Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 18-2 in five matches.

Miami/Ft. Lauderdale has brought out the best in the RailHawks during the last two years. In 2009, the RailHawks scored a club record nine goals en route to their most lopsided win in club history (9-0). In their last meeting, on Aug. 18, 2010, the RailHawks earned their first-ever come-from behind victory, picking up a 2-1 win on a pair of second-half goals by Gregory Richardson and Etienne Barbara.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks scored a season-high three goals en route to a 3-1 away win over Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Etienne Barbara opened up the game’s scoring in the 20th minute, but Tampa Bay’s Pascal Millien equalized three minutes later. Tied 1-1 at intermission, the RailHawks broke the deadlock seven minutes into the second half. Brian Farber tucked in a pass from Barbara to put the RailHawks ahead 2-1, and Barbara put the game away in the 76th minute with his second goal of the night.

The RailHawks allowed a season-high 20 shots, and goalkeeper Brad Knighton made 11 saves to preserve the win.

BARBARA, KNIGHTON NAMED PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Forward Etienne Barbara and goalkeeper Brad Knighton were named the NASL Week 5 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week on Monday.

Barbara scored two goals and had one assist in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Tampa Bay, while Knighton made 11 saves.

It was the fourth time this season a RailHawk has been recognized as a Player of the Week. It was the second time Barbara has been honored, and it came on the heels of his Player of the Month selection last week.

BARBARA DOES IT AGAIN

Barbara’s two-goal effort Saturday gives him goals in five straight games and upped his season total to six, which leads the NASL.

The two goals gave Barbara 14 for his RailHawks career, making him the club’s new all-time leader. He set the record in just 33 appearances for the RailHawks, half as many as Daniel Paladini had during his 13-goal record-tying run in 2009-10 and 21 fewer matches than Connally Edozien needed to set the record in 2007-08.

Barbara has six goals through the RailHawks’ first five games of 2011 and he has closed in on several other RailHawks’ single-season and career records. He is just two goals shy of the single-season goal scoring mark, which he set in 2010. He is just five points shy of the single-season mark, which he also set in 2010. And he is just three points behind Paladini’s career points record of 35.

KNIGHTON TOPS RECORD BOOK, SAVE CHART

Knighton’s 11-save effort against FCTB not only earned him player of the week honors, but it also got him into the RailHawks’ record book. The 11 saves tied the single-game club record, which was set by Eric Reed on May 26, 2010 in Puerto Rico.

Knighton now has 24 saves on the season, which leads the NASL. If Knighton continues his 4.8 saves per game rate, he is on pace to set a new RailHawks record for saves in a season, which is currently 109.

A GOOD START

The RailHawks are in the midst of their best start to a season in club history. With 10 points through five games, they have equaled their 2009 start, when they were also 3-1-1 and on 10 points through five matches.

And it is a dramatic improvement over where they were through five games in 2010. At this point last season, Carolina was 1-2-2- and had just five points.

Though the RailHawks began the 2008 season unbeaten over their first seven matches (3-4-0), they had nine points through their first five games.

PLAYER NOTES

• Forward Brian Farber returned to the starting 11 on Saturday, played 60 minutes and scored his first goal of the season.
• Midfielder Stephen Glass started his second straight match Saturday and earned his first assist of the season, setting up Etienne Barbara’s 20th-minute goal.
• Midfielder Chris Nurse made his second straight appearance as a substitute Saturday, coming on in the 64th minute, and earned his first assist of the season, setting up Etienne Barbara’s 76th-minute goal.
• Midfielder Cory Elenio made his fifth straight appearance on Saturday, checking into the match as an 85th-minute substitute.
• Midfielder Jonny Steele returned to the field for the first time since April 20, entering Saturday’s match as a 60th-minute substitute.

2011 STAT LEADERS

Appearances: Floyd Franks, Kupono Low, Devon McKenney, Etienne Barbara, John Krause, Nick Zimmerman, Cory Elenio, Brad Knighton (5)
Starts: Floyd Franks, Kupono Low, Devon McKenney, John Krause, Nick Zimmerman, Brad Knighton (5)
Minutes:Floyd Franks, Kupono Low, Devon McKenney, John Krause, Brad Knighton (450)
Goals: Etienne Barbara (6)
Assists: Etienne Barbara, Stephen Glass, Chris Nurse, Matt Watson (1)
Shots: Etienne Barbara (15)
Yellow cards:Floyd Franks, John Krause (2)
Red cards:Pablo Campos, Jonny Steele (1)
Saves: Brad Knighton (24)

NASL TABLE

NASL SCHEDULE – WEEK 6

Wednesday, May 11
Ft. Lauderdale vs Carolina, 7 p.m.
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.

Edmonton vs Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Saturday, May 14
Carolina vs Montreal, 2:30 p.m.
Stade Saputo, Montreal, Quebec

FC Tampa Bay vs Ft. Lauderdale, 7:30 p.m.
Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Atlanta vs Minnesota, 8:30 p.m.
National Sports Center, Blaine, Minn.

NASL RESULTS – WEEK 5

Saturday, May 7
Carolina 3 Tampa Bay 1
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Edmonton 2, Atlanta 0
Atlanta Silverbacks Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.

Ft. Lauderdale 1, Minnesota, 1
National Sports Center, Blaine, Minn.

NEXT UP

The RailHawks go back on the road this weekend for a trip to Montreal to face the Impact on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Stade Saputo. The RailHawks will return home to close out the month of May with home matches on May 21 against Puerto Rico and May 28 against Atlanta.

2011 NASL STATISTICS