The Carolina RailHawks will play for their season on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park, where they will host the return leg of their NASL Semifinal series against Minnesota 7 p.m.

The RailHawks trail the Stars 1-0 on aggregate. If the RailHawks lead by one goal at the end of 90 minutes Saturday, the match will proceed to 30 minutes (two, 15-minute periods) of extra time. If still tied on aggregate after extra time, the series will be decided in a penalty kick shootout. If the RailHawks lead by two goals at the end of regulation or extra time, they will proceed to the Championship Final for a second straight season.

In the first leg, last Saturday at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., the RailHawks and Stars seemed destined to play a scoreless draw. Both teams had a number of chances throughout the night, but Carolina goalkeeper Brad Knighton (six saves) and Minnesota goalkeeper Joe Warren (seven saves) turned in top-notch performances to keep the match scoreless. But minutes from full time, Minnesota’s Andrei Gotsmanov created a chance and lofted a perfectly placed shot into the back of the net.

Though down 1-0 on aggregate, the RailHawks have been in this position before. In last year’s semifinals against Montreal, after losing the first leg 1-0, they returned to WakeMed Soccer Park and won the second leg 2-0 to win the series.

The RailHawks, who won the NASL Regular Season Championship with 54 points and a 17-3-8 record, will look to their forwards to lead the comeback. Etienne Barbara and Pablo Campos scored a combined 32 goals this season, 20 and 12 respectively, three of which came against Minnesota. Barbara scored on a penalty kick in their 1-1 draw at Minnesota on April 30, while Campos has the last two goals against the Stars, in a 1-1 tie at WakeMed Soccer Park on Aug. 17 and in a 2-1 home loss on Sept. 24.

Defensively, the RailHawks, which led the league with a 0.929 goals against average in the regular season, are looking for their first shutout since Sept. 3. In all five matches against Minnesota this season, Knighton has 21 saves. While Minnesota has scored at least once in all five matches against the RailHawks this year, the goals have come about in similar ways. On Sept. 24, the Stars scored two goals in six minutes, the latter two minutes after the RailHawks had tied the match. And on April 30, the Stars found the equalizer nine minutes after the RailHawks took a 1-0 lead. In the other two games, the Stars scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute.

RAILHAWKS IN THE PLAYOFFS

The RailHawks are in the postseason for the third straight year and the fourth time in the club’s five-season history.

All-time, the RailHawks are 2-3-6 in the postseason.

In 2007 and 2009, their postseasons ended in the first round to Seattle (3-0 on aggregate) and Vancouver (1-0 on aggregate), respectively.

They scored their first playoff goal, won their first playoff game and won their first playoff series all on the same day in 2010. Against Minnesota in the return leg of last year’s quarterfinals, the RailHawks ended a 514-minute playoff scoreless streak with Daniel Paladini’s 64th-minute goal. The RailHawks went on to win the match 4-0, ending a four-match playoff winless streak (0-1-3), and they won the series, their first in three tries. That win propelled them into the semifinals, where they eliminated Montreal 2-1 on aggregate, and onto the finals, where they fell 3-1 on aggregate to Puerto Rico.

PLAYOFF COMEBACKS

In the four completed postseasons since 2007, when the RailHawks make their second division debut, 25, two-leg, aggregate playoff series have been played. Seven times, the team trailing at the end of the first leg has come back to win the return leg and the series on aggregate.

In 2007, Puerto Rico trailed Montreal 3-2 in the quarterfinals and won the return leg 3-0. That same year, also in the quarterfinals, Portland trailed Vancouver 1-0 after the first leg and won the return leg 3-0. In 2008, Puerto Rico trailed Rochester 2-0 after the first leg and won the second 3-0. In the 2008 semifinals, Vancouver trailed Montreal 1-0 after the first leg and won the return leg 2-0.

In 2010, the RailHawks were responsible for the only come-from-behind win in the playoffs. After falling 1-0 at Montreal, the RailHawks returned to WakeMed Soccer Park and eliminated the Impact 2-0 (2-1 on aggregate), to advance to the championship.

Furthermore, the RailHawks displayed an affinity for comebacks this season. Five times they overcame a one-goal deficit and went on to win the match, a feat that had only been accomplished on two occasions in the first four years of the franchise.

SERIES HISTORY

In four regular-season matches this season, the RailHawks went 0-2-2 against Minnesota, and they were outscored 5-3.

In the all-time series, the RailHawks are 1-3-5 against Minnesota (including postseason). The Stars won both regular-season matches in 2010 by scores of 1-0, and the RailHawks prevailed 4-0 on aggregate in the playoffs. The Stars are the only team in the NASL that the RailHawks have not defeated in 2011, and they were the only team the RailHawks did not beat during the 2010 regular season

Their matches are always close. Eight of nine matches have ended tied or decided by one goal. Only twice in nine matches has either team scored more than one goal on their other: the 2010 quarterfinals second leg, which the RailHawks won 4-0, and when they last met at WakeMed Soccer Park, on Sept. 24, when Minnesota won 2-1.

HOW WE GOT HERE

The top six teams in the regular season advanced to the NASL Playoffs.

One-game quarterfinals were held two weekends ago. Minnesota beat Tampa Bay 1-0 and Ft. Lauderdale roughed up Edmonton 5-0 to advance to the semifinals.

The semifinals consist of two, two-leg, aggregate goal series. The away goals rule is not in effect.

In one semifinal, No. 1 Carolina lost the first leg 1-0 to No. 6 Minnesota for the first leg last Saturday. They play the return leg next this Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7 p.m.

In the other semifinal, No. 2 Puerto Rico lost 3-1 to No. 4 Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, and they play the return leg next this Saturday at Lockhart Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

The semifinal winners will advance to the championship final, which will consist of a home-and-home, aggregate goal series. Once again, the away goals rule is not in effect. The championship kicks off on Oct. 22.

NASL LEADERS

Several RailHawks finished the 2011 Regular Season leading the NASL in a number of statistical categories.

Forward Etienne Barbara won the Golden Boot after scoring a league-best 20 goals. He also tied teammate Jonny Steele for the NASL lead in assists. Both players had eight.

Forward Pablo Campos finished the season second in the NASL in scoring, with 12 goals.

Goalkeeper Brad Knighton was second in the league in goals against average (0.929), saves (113) and shutouts (eight).