RailHawks See Stars

The Carolina RailHawks hit the road for the first time in 2011 on Saturday, when they face NSC Minnesota at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. EST.  Join other RailHawks fans at The BrickHouse for Saturday’s game, as well as all away games, or watch from home at carolinarailhawks.com/live.

The RailHawks (2-0-1, 6 points) head to the upper Midwest having won two in a row. They are currently tied with Edmonton for second place in the NASL, three points behind leader Puerto Rico.

Key to the RailHawks’ last two victories has been the emergence of their defense and the scoring touch of Etienne Barbara.

After surrendering three goals over the season’s first two matches, the RailHawks picked up their first shutout of the season – and 26th in their last 63 league matches – on April 20 against Edmonton, 2-0. The RailHawks have not allowed a goal in 169 minutes, and they’ve only allowed one shot on goal during that same period.

With the backline preventing goals, Barbara has been scoring them up front for the RailHawks. His 19th minute goal against Edmonton opened the scoring and gave him three goals through three games. That RailHawks’ five goals scored and plus-2 goal-differential are both second-best in the NASL.

Minnesota, meanwhile, is winless over its last two (0-1-1) and currently in fifth place (1-1-1, four points). They have scored three goals through three games while conceding four.

Last time out

The RailHawks picked up their second straight win at WakeMed Soccer Park, downing Edmonton 2-0 on April 20.

Etienne Barbara scored the game’s first goal in the 19th minute, punching in a rebound on a shot by Kupono Low. Nick Zimmerman iced the game in the 76th minute with a 35-yard lob shot over Edmonton’s goalkeeper, who was out of position to make a save.

The teams finished the night even on shots (14), but the RailHawks put four on target while Edmonton had zero. It was the RailHawks’ first shutout of the 2011 season.

2010 vs Minnesota

In four matches in 2010, including the postseason, the RailHawks went 1-2-1 against Minnesota.

The Stars won both regular-season meetings by 1-0 scorelines. Minnesota was the only team last season that the RailHawks did not earn a point against or score a goal on. And the Stars were one of only three teams that the RailHawks did not defeat in 2010.

That all changed when the two met in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. After playing to a scoreless draw in the opening leg in Minnesota, the RailHawks returned to WakeMed Soccer Park and won the return leg 4-0. They scored four goals (including a Minnesota own goal) over the match’s final 26 minutes to earn the first playoff win in club history. The four-goal margin of victory was the RailHawks’ largest of the season and second biggest in club history.

Three-game winning streaks

The RailHawks head to Minnesota in search of their third straight win. The team has won three in a row on four separate occasions, all under Martin Rennie. In fact, dating back to the end of the 2010 regular season, the RailHawks have won five straight matches.

The longest single-season winning streak stands at four games, which the RailHawks did twice in 2009.

Road openers

As the RailHawks head to Minnesota for their first away match of 2011, they’ll be seeking their first road-opening win in club history. In the previous four years, the RailHawks are 0-1-3 in their first away match of the season.

After dropping their first-ever away match in 2007 in Atlanta, the RailHawks have managed ties in their last three, 1-1 at Atlanta (2008), 0-0 at Portland (2009), at 1-1 at Rochester (2010).

Wins on rest

The RailHawks will have had a 10-day break between their April 20 match against Edmonton and Saturday’s match in Minnesota. Since 2009, when Martin Rennie became the team’s head coach, the RailHawks are 3-2-1 in games following a layoff of eight days or more.

Road Warriors

Since Martin Rennie took over the RailHawks in 2009, he’s developed teams that can produce away from WakeMed Soccer Park.

The RailHawks are 12-9-9 in away matches during the last two seasons. After a decent 5-5-5 away record in 2009, the RailHawks went 7-4-4 on the road in 2010, setting a club record for most away wins and away points (25). Under Rennie, the RailHawks have earned slightly fewer away points (45) than points at WakeMed Soccer Park (52).

Barbara Named Offensive Player of the Week

After his third goal in as many games, forward Etienne Barbara was named the NASL Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3. It was the second straight week a RailHawk was honored by the NASL. Brad Rusin was the Defender of the Week for Week 2.

Barbara scored his  third goal of the season in the RailHawks’ 2-0 win over Edmonton on April 20. He became the second player in club history to score a goal in three straight matches, and his 11 career goals for the club leave him in a three-way tie for second on the team’s all-time list.

Player Notes

• Forward Etienne Barbara scored his third goal of the season in the 19th minute against Edmonton. His three goals lead the team and are second-most in the NASL.
• Midfielder Nick Zimmerman scored his first goal of the season in the 76th minute against Edmonton and became the 46th different RailHawk to score a goal for the club
• Goalkeeper Brad Knighton earned his first shutout of 2011 against Edmonton and finished the night with zero saves.
• Forward Pablo Campos had a team-high four shots against Edmonton.
• Midfielder Jonny Steele returned from red-card suspension and entered the Edmonton match as a substitute in the 68th minute.
• Midfielder Cory Elenio came on as a second-half sub for the third match in a row and played 31 minutes against Edmonton.
• Defender John Krause drew his second yellow card and midfielder Floyd Franks drew his first in the 26th and 73rd minutes, respectively, against Edmonton.

2011 STAT LEADERS

Appearances: 11 players tied (3)
Starts: 9 players tied (3)
Minutes:6 players tied (270)
Goals: Etienne Barbara (3)
Assists: Matt Watson (1)
Shots: Nick Zimmerman,Etienne Barbara (7)
Fouls: Floyd Franks (10)
Yellow cards:John Krause (2)
Red cards:Jonny Steele (1)
Saves: Brad Knighton (8)

NASL TABLE

NASL SCHEDULE – WEEK 4

Tuesday, April 26

Puerto Rico 3, Minnesota 1
Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel

Friday, April 29

Ft. Lauderdale vs Puerto Rico, 8:05 p.m.
Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel

Saturday, April 30

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

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

Sunday, May 1

Montreal vs Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.
Foote Field, Edmonton, Alberta

NASL RESULTS – WEEK 3

Wednesday, April 20
Carolina 2, Edmonton 0
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.

Saturday, April 23
Montreal 0, Tampa Bay 0
Saputo Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Ft. Lauderdale 2, Atlanta 1
Atlanta Silverbacks Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.

NEXT UP

The RailHawks will remain on the road for one more match before their return to WakeMed Soccer Park. They’ll travel to Florida to square off against FC Tampa Bay on May 7 at 7 p.m. They return home on May 11 to face the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers at 7 p.m.