The Carolina RailHawks 2011 season is half over. Fourteen games are in the books, and fourteen more are to come before the end of the regular season. They kick off the second half of the season on Saturday at Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. EST.

But before the second half begins, let’s take a look back at the 10 most memorable moments, storylines and trends of the first half of the RailHawks’ season.

10. The season opener

In a rematch of last season’s championship finals, the RailHawks opened the 2011 season against Puerto Rico at WakeMed Soccer Park on April 9. Ten minutes into the match, play was suspended due to severe weather. Nearly two hours later, play resumed.

Trailing 1-0 late, Martin Rennie looked down the bench and called on Etienne Barbara, who’d stepped off a plane from Malta less than 24 hours earlier and hadn’t slept a wink since his return to the U.S.

Barbara entered with 11 minutes to play, then converted a penalty kick he drew in the 86th minute, seemingly rescuing a point for the RailHawks, who’d also been playing a man down for more than a half hour.

But seconds from full-time, Puerto Rico’s Jay Needham headed in a corner kick to steal 3 points for the visitors.

9. Etienne the Barbarian

Little did we know then that Barbara’s penalty kick was the start of the greatest scoring binge ever provided by a Maltese striker.

Barbara went on to score goals in eight consecutive games and record points in 10 straight.

With less than a third of the season completed, Barbara had already established new single-season club records for goals, points, consecutive games with a goal, consecutive games with a point, and he’s also taken over the career club records for goals and points, and he’s tied for the all-time assists lead.

Through 14 games, Barbara has played a role in 64 percent of the RailHawks’ offensive output. He has 14 goals and 7 assists, while the team has tallied a total of 33 goals.

Barbara was the NASL Player of the Month in April and May, and four times he’s been selected as the NASL Offensive Player of the Week.

8. Streaks

Another thing we had no way of knowing back on April 9 was that would be the only loss of the first half of the season.

The RailHawks are undefeated in their 13 matches since (12-1-0), a club record, and they have won 10 straight, obliterating the previous club record of three consecutive wins.

They’ve also won five straight road matches, another club record, and seven straight at home, one shy of the club record.

7. Comeback wins

The RailHawks record for four years was nothing short of dreadful in games in which they conceded the first goal.

This season, it has been remarkable. The RailHawks have conceded the first goal five times this season. They have come back to tie the match on all five occasions, and they have gone on to win the last four.

Not only have they come back to win, they’ve done so convincingly. Down 1-0 to Montreal, they went on to win 2-1. Down 1-0 to Ft. Lauderdale, they went on to win 4-2. Down 1-0 to Tampa Bay, they went on to win 3-1. Down 1-0 to Atlanta, they went on to win 5-1.

Furthermore, when they get down, they don’t stay down for long. They’ve trailed for a total of 103 minutes this season -- out of 1,260 played.

6. Watson’s wunderstrike

Trailing Tampa Bay 1-0 on June 18, Matt Watson scored one of the best goals in club history.

Near the top of the area, Watson executed a give-and-go with Etienne Barbara. When he got the ball back, he took a couple of touches and unleashed a 25-yard blast with the outside of his right foot that dipped and swerved back toward the near post, leaving Tampa Bay goalkeeper Jeff Attinella defenseless.

Simply masterful.

5. Zimmerman’s thunderbolt

Watson’s claim to goal of the season lasted all of one week.

On June 25 in Atlanta, Nick Zimmerman received a pass from Floyd Franks on the right flank. He turned and saw nothing but space. He took a few touches, set the ball up on his left foot and then hammered a shot to the far post.

A phenomenal strike.

4. Cory Miller comes and goes

In the 88th minute of the second leg of the 2010 championship finals, defender Brad Rusin was sent off against Puerto Rico.

Six months later, he served the one-match suspension in the RailHawks’ season opener against Puerto Rico.

With Rusin unavailable, Rennie turned to rookie Cory Miller to fill in.

The 6-foot-4 defender played 68 minutes, nearly scored a goal and more than held his own in his first match as a professional.

Less than 12 hours after the final whistle, Miller was on a plane back to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., where he was finishing up his college degree. Thirty-six hours later, he was back in class.

"Martin called me [that week] unexpectedly," Miller said at the time. "I was sitting there at class. He asked, ‘What’s your schedule like? Could you come down and play’? I told him I’d open things up to do that. You don’t turn down something like that. He didn’t say I was going to play or anything and I wasn’t expecting to play. I was there in case. Once I knew I was starting, I was in shock."

Miller has finished school and now is with the team full time. He got his second start of the season on June 10, and he played 90 minutes in the RailHawks’ 1-0 win at Edmonton.

3. Top of the table

Of 42 available points, the RailHawks have grabbed 37 of them and built in impressive 13-point lead in the table.

Just to get an idea of how substantial the lead is, consider that in order to relinquish first place, the RailHawks would have to lose their next five games in a row, while Edmonton would have to win their next five.

If that were to happen, the RailHawks wouldn’t fall out of first place until July 30, and even then they’d only be two points off the top.

The RailHawks can put more distance between themselves and Edmonton with two head-to-head matches this month. They’ll meet on July 13 in Edmonton and July 23 at WakeMed Soccer Park.

2. Road to victory

Win at home, tie on the road is generally a good recipe for soccer success.

But the RailHawks are tilting that theory on its head this season. They’re winning at home and on the road. Their 7-0-1 at home and they’ve outscored their opponents 17-6. They’re 5-1-0 in away matches this season and they’ve outscored their road opponents 16-5.

1. Crowded house

There’s been an awful lot to cheer on the field with the RailHawks this season, and it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint any one thing that’s more exciting than another.

But maybe the most exciting thing isn’t what’s happening on the field. Maybe it’s what’s happening in the stands at WakeMed Soccer Park. The RailHawks Pregame Part Tent as been an exciting new addition that has sold out since its introduction.

Over their last four matches at home, the RailHawks have played before an average crowd of close to 4,000 fans.

If folks continue coming in droves, the RailHawks will continue entertaining them.