As the season hits the stretch run, the Carolina RailHawks head to Atlanta Saturday looking to continue the momentum built from last weekend’s 2-0 win over Ft. Lauderdale at WakeMed Soccer Park. Kick off against the Silverbacks is at 7:30 p.m., and the match will be carried live at CarolinaRailHawks.com.

Last Saturday’s win snapped a three-match winless streak for the RailHawks, and the shutout was their first since July 30. The three points from the win also allowed the RailHawks to maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the NASL table. With six games remaining, the RailHawks have 48 points, while Puerto Rico is in second place on 41. Atlanta (3-16-3) enters the weekend at the bottom of the standings, with 12 points. 

The RailHawks will play four of their final six regular-season matches on the road, where they have fared quite well in 2011. The RailHawks are 5-2-3 in away matches this year, and they’ve outscored the opposition 15-11. In their other visit to Atlanta this season, the RailHawks prevailed 5-1.

The RailHawks remain at the top of the table as the season hits its 21st week, and they remain the NASL’s best offensive and defensive team. They’ve scored a league-leading 41 goals, their goal differential sits at plus-24, and they’ve been shut out just twice.

Forward Etienne Barbara continues to lead the league in goals (17) and assists (eight), and strike partner Pablo Campos has gone for nine goals, third most in the league. Nick Zimmerman has added five goals, while Jonny Steele and Floyd Franks have contributed six and four assists, respectively.

The RailHawks’ 19 allowed are fewest in the league, as is their 0.864 goals against average. They are the only team in the NASL with a GAA under 1.00, and only three times this season have RailHawks allowed more than one goal. Brad Knighton has played all 1,850 minutes of the season in goal, and he leads the league in goals against average, shutouts (seven) and is second in saves (89).

The Silverbacks (3-3-16) return home for the first time since August after a brutal road trip took them to Puerto Rico, Montreal and Edmonton to play three matches in 11 days. Atlanta enters this weekend having lost five in a row, and they’ve been kept off the scoreboard for the last 499 minutes. During the five-game skid, they have been outscored 14-0. Though the Silverbacks have hit a rough patch recently, they will pose a threat this weekend. Forward Matt Horth leads the team in scoring, with six goals and one assist, while midfielder Ciaran O’Brien has added four goals and three assists. 

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks ended a three-match winless streak last Saturday with a 2-0 win over Ft. Lauderdale at WakeMed Soccer Park. Etienne Barbara opened the scoring with a 31st-minute penalty kick, and Matt Watson put the game away in the 57th minute after  a clever give-and-go with Pablo Campos. Brad Knighton made five saves to earn his 15th win of the season. Despite being outshot 16-11 and conceding 14 corner kicks, the RailHawks earned their seventh shutout of the season and stretch their home unbeaten streak to 11 matches (10-1-0).

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday’s match will be the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the RailHawks and Silverbacks. The RailHawks have won all three previous meetings in 2011and have outscored the Silverbacks 8-1.

In their last match, on July 30 at WakeMed Soccer Park, the RailHawks earned a 1-0 win in a match that was abandoned after 50 minutes to due to three separate weather delays totaling more than two and a half hours. Etienne Barbara provided the game’s lone goal  in the eighth minute.

On June 25 in Atlanta, the Silverbacks took a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes thanks to Matt Horth’s early finish. But the RailHawks responded by scoring five unanswered goals, including three in the first half. Nick Zimmerman finished the night with two goals, while Etienne Barbara, Chris Nurse and Brad Rusin also scored for the RailHawks.

In the season’s first match, on May 28 at WakeMed Soccer Park, the Silverbacks held the RailHawks scoreless for 80 minutes before Carolina finally broke through. In the 81st minute, Barbara flung the ball into the area, and Pablo Campos, unmarked on the back post, laid out to head it into the goal. Allan Russell tacked on another in stoppage time to give the RailHawks a 2-0 win. RailHawks goalkeeper Brad Knighton had four saves to earn the shutout. Atlanta counterpart Felipe Quintero made six saves in a losing effort for the Silverbacks. The matched featured 27 shots and 30 fouls.

All-time, the RailHawks are 4-4-2 against Atlanta.

NASL LEADERS

Not only are the RailHawks at the top of the NASL table, several players are among the league leaders in a handful of statistical categories.

Forward Etienne Barbara leads the league with 17 goals, eight assists, 42 points and 66 shots, and he rates 10th  in the league in minutes played (1,808).

Forward Pablo Campos ranks third  in the league with nine goals, and Nick Zimmerman is tied for sixth with five goals.

Midfielder Jonny Steele is second in the league with seven assists, and midfielder Floyd Franks is tied for fifth with four assists.

Goalkeeper Brad Knighton leads the league in goals against average (0.864), and shutouts (6) and is second in the league in saves (89).

Defender and captain Kupono Low ranks seventh in the league in minutes played (1,850)

MISC. NOTES

• Etienne Barbara scored his league-leading 17th goal of the season against Ft. Lauderdale when he converted a 31st-minute penalty kick. It was also his fourth PK conversion of the season.
• Matt Watson scored his third goal of the season against Ft. Lauderdale last weekend – the most he’s scored in a single season since joining the RailHawks in 2008.
• Pablo Campos picked up his second assist and 20th point of the season after setting up Watson’s goal against Ft. Lauderdale.
• Brad Knighton made five saves and recorded his league-leading seventh shutout last weekend against the Strikers.
• Tony McManus started his third straight match since joining the RailHawks two weeks ago, and he’s played the full 90 minutes in all three matches.
• Wednesday’s draw snapped the RailHawks’ club-record nine matching winning streak at WakeMed Soccer Park. However, the RailHawks remain undefeated at home (9-1-0) since dropping the season opener on April 9.
• The RailHawks remain undefeated in games in which they score the first goal this season (11-0-3).
• The RailHawks are one win shy of matching the club record for most wins in a season (16), which was set in 2009.
• The RailHawks are one goal shy of matching the club record for most goals in a season (44), which has been reset in each of Martin Rennie’s  three seasons on the RailHawks’ bench.

2011 STAT LEADERS

Appearances: Etienne Barbara, Brad Knighton (22)

Starts: Brad Knighton (22)

Minutes (All Players): Brad Knighton (1,940)

Minutes (Field Players): Kupono Low (1,850)

Goals: Etienne Barbara (17)

Assists: Etienne Barbara (8)

Shots: Etienne Barbara (64)

Yellow cards: John Krause (7)

Red cards: Pablo Campos, Jonny Steele, Chris Nurse, John Krause (1)

Saves: Brad Knighton (89)

NASL TABLE

NASL SCHEDULE – WEEK 20

Saturday, Aug. 27

Tampa Bay vs Ft. Lauderdale, 7:30 p.m.
Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Carolina vs Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta Silverbacks Park, Atlanta, Ga.

Edmonton vs Puerto Rico, 7:30 p.m.
Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel, Bayamon, PR

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

NASL RESULTS – WEEK 20

Wednesday, Aug. 17

Minnesota 1, Carolina 1
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.

Saturday, Aug. 20

Montreal 2, Minnesota 0
Stade Saputo, Montreal, Que.

Carolina 2, Ft. Lauderdale 0
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.

Puerto Rico 2, Tampa Bay 1
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Sunday Aug. 21

Edmonton 3, Atlanta 0
Foote Field, Edmonton, Alb.

NEXT UP

The RailHawks return to WakeMed Soccer Park next Saturday, when they will close out the season series with Tampa Bay. The RailHawks are 3-0-0 against FCTB this season and have outscored them  8-3.

2011 NASL STATISTICS