The Carolina RailHawks defeated the UNC Wilmington Seahawks men’s soccer team Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory at WakeMed Soccer Park.  The match was the RailHawks second victory in two preseason matches and was the first at their home venue.  Fans in attendance were able to get a first glance at the 2011 RailHawks.

The starting eleven consisted mostly of individuals on trial with the club and managed to get the RailHawks off to a strong start with two goals in the opening 45 minutes.  Per club policy, the names of trialist are not released.  In the second half, Rennie infused the lineup with a number of RailHawks returnees and new signings.  The RailHawks established their dominance by controlling the run of play and creating a number of scoring opportunities that missed just wide.  The defense remained a strong point for the RailHawks as they recorded their second straight shutout.       

Head Coach Martin Rennie’s comments on the match:

“Defensively we did well.  I don’t think our keepers had a shot to save and we created a lot of scoring opportunities. I would have liked to have seen us take more of our chances, especially in the second half, but we performed really well.  A lot of the things that we have been working on in training were evident in the game and as a coach that’s what you want at this point.” – On the team’s performance against UNC Wilmington

“I think that could be a really good partnership.  John Krause is a really good communicator.  He is very strong in the air and knows how to position himself when defending.   He and Brad are both comfortable with the ball, which suits our style of play.  I think they could be a really good pairing.” – On new arrival John Krause and the pairing of Krause and Brad Rusin at the center back positions