BURNABY, B.C. – The Carolina RailHawks neutralized Charles Gbeke,
the lumbering Vancouver Whitecaps forward who led the USL-1 in scoring this
season, Thursday night at Swangard stadium.
The problem proved to be his second-half replacement.
Twenty minutes after taking over for Gbeke, Randy Edwini-Bonsu
scored the game-winning goal in the 77th minute to deal the
RailHawks a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their USL-1 quarterfinal. In a
one-goal hole, the RailHawks must win Sunday’s return leg at WakeMed Soccer
Park by two goals in order to advance to the semifinals.
“I thought we played really well,” said Carolina coach Martin
Rennie. “The main thing is the performance. You obviously want the result at
this stage, but we performed well. Their goal came out of nothing really. It’s
disappointing to lose a goal, but I was happy we were in the game. Now we know
we have to go home and score, and that’s what we would have expected anyway.
We’re looking forward to getting back home and having a go at it Sunday.”
On the game-changing play, Vancouver’s Marlon James and Carolina’s
Brad Rusin went up for a 50-50 ball. Rusin won the challenge, but the ball took
an awkward bounce off the turf and Edwini-Bonsu pounced on it in stride.
Carolina goalkeeper Caleb Patterson raced out to challenge, but the speedy
Edwini-Bonsu beat him to the ball, touched it by him and tucked it into the
open net.
It was an unfortunate bounce, but as Rennie said, “that’s the way
it goes.”
Aside from the goal, the RailHawks allowed Vancouver little else
on the attack. The Whitecaps took a total of 11 shots, but Patterson had to
make just two saves all night. In addition to shutting down Gbeke, who’s only
strong chance was a harmless header easily saved by Patterson in the 34th
minute, the RailHawks tracked back and snuffed out any Whitecaps counterattack,
and Carolina never wilted despite a torrent of Vancouver set pieces. The
Whitecaps had four corner kicks, in addition to several threatening throw-ins
by Wes Knight deep in Carolina’s end.
While they took only seven shots, the RailHawks didn’t go wanting for
chances. After a quiet first half for both offensives (only nine shots
combined, none of them dangerous), play opened up early in the second.
In the 54th minute, Greg Shields waited for a run
develop on the right flank. John Cunliffe rewarded Shields’ patience, streaking
behind the defense and receiving a ball in space. As the Vancouver defense
closed in, Cunliffe manufactured a chance on his favored left foot, but his
strike didn’t make Jay Nolly (six saves) budge from his line.
In the 60th minute, Luke Kreamalmeyer’s clever footwork
deep in Vancouver’s end drew a foul and free kick just outside the area. Daniel
Paladini served a ball in, and while Vancouver won the initial ball, Carolina
kept it in their end. But the Whitecaps defense never flinched, and the
RailHawks didn’t get a glimpse of the goal.
In the 70th minute, Andriy Budnyy danced around the
Whitecaps and had the ball eight yards from goal, but as he drew his left leg
back for the blast, Vancouver defender Takashi Hirano cleanly tackled away the
ball from behind.
Two minutes later, Budnyy played Kreamalmeyer into space, but
Kreamaleyer’s first touch just outside the area abandoned him, allowing Nolly
to easily collect the ball.
“You maybe have a few less chances on the road, so you have to be precise,”
Rennie said. “We weren’t as precise as we’d have liked to have been, but
we did have a lot of the ball and a lot of chances. The last bit could’ve been
better. But other than that, it was pretty good.”
Though not an ideal start to the postseason, Thursday’s result was
hardly a crushing defeat.
“Even if it was 0-0, everyone would think that’s fantastic, but
we’d still have to score at home,” Rennie said. “We still have to do the same
thing now. Lots of times, if a team loses 1-0 away from home, they feel
confident going in to the next game. It’s not anything to get scared about. We
know what we have to do.”
SCORING SUMMARY
VAN: Randy Edwini-Bonsu, 77th
LINEUPS
CAR: GK Caleb Patterson, D John Gilkerson, D Mark Schulte, D Greg
Shields, D Jeremy Tolleson, M Brad Rusin, M Kupono Low (Brian Plotkin, 80th),
M Daniel Paladini, M Luke Kreamalmeyer, F Matthew Delicate (Andriy Budnyy, 65th),
F John Cunliffe
VAN: GK Jay Nolly, D Lyle Martin, D Luca Bellisomo, D Shaun Pejic, D Takashi
Hirano, M Wes Knight, M Martin Nash, M Gordon Chin (Kenold Versailles, 57th),
M Ansu Toure (Justin Moose, 67th); F Marcus Haber (Marlon James, 67th),
F Charles Gbeke (Randy Edwini-Bonsu, 57th)
CAUTIONS
VAN: Kenold Versailles, 64th
CAR: Kupono Low, 78th; Daniel Paladini, 80th
