CARY, N.C. -  The RailHawks U-23’s experienced great success over the past weekend as they won the USASA Region III U-23 Men’s National Cup, and in turn, qualified for the USASA National Championship. Playing in Gainesville, GA, the team played in and won an incredible four matches in two days against some of the Southeast’s best competition.

The team, comprised of many of the area’s top college players, played their first match on Friday night against Louisiana F.C., which they won 8-0. The competition took a step up as they faced defending regional champion Futsoc FC the following morning. Despite the short turn around, the RailHawks prevailed with a 1-0 win. Later that afternoon they took on the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserve team and won 2-1. The club closed out the tournament on Saturday night against Winston Salem with a 6-0 win; a win that wrapped up the regional championship.

Head coach Dewan Bader spoke glowingly about his club and how they overcame their tough schedule.

“Playing 4 matches in 26 hours is highly difficult.” Bader said. “I am very proud of the team and the way they fought throughout the tournament.

The RailHawks were led in scoring by UNC product Billy Schuler and Elon standout Gabe Latigue, who each had five goals. The team also only conceded one goal throughout tournament, led by goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck of Valparaiso.

The team hopes to build on this success as they move onto Nationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The first match is July 15^th against Lazio, a team from the West Coast regional.

The RailHawks U-23’s are sponsored by JRW Associates (www.jrwassoc.com), a United Benefit Advisors firm that covers over 10 million members. For more information on the RailHawks organization and U-23 program visit CarolinaRailHawks.com, or (919) 859-KICK (5425).