The Carolina RailHawks (4-5-5, 17 pts.) had their four-game win streak snapped Saturday night by the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (5-4-5, 19 pts.) with a 2 – 1 loss.  The Strikers received two first half goals from Mark Anderson to jump to an early lead and ultimately capture the victory.  RailHawks midfielder Nick Zimmerman tallied his 7th goal of the season in the 83rd minute to cut the Strikers lead in half.

“In the first half we weren’t very good,” said RailHawks Head Coach Colin Clarke.  “We decided to show up in the second half and had a chance to get a result.  The second goal in first half stoppage time hurt.”

The Strikers came out attacking early and found the first of Anderson’s goals in the 5th minute.  Anderson’s shot from 20 yards out took a deflection off RailHawks defender Gale Agbossoumonde and goalkeeper Ray Burse was unable to recover before the ball rolled into the back of the net.  The Strikers continued to push for a second goal and found it in the final minutes of first half stoppage time.   Strikers’ defender Scott Lorenz had his blocked cross fall back to his feet and proceeded to find Anderson open in the 6-yard box.  Anderson calmly placed his second goal of the night past Burse.

The RailHawks came out strong in the second half, earning multiple free kick opportunities atop of the Strikers 18-yard box.  RailHawks midfielder Chris Nurse seemed to cut the Strikers lead in half, finding the back of the net off a set piece, but was whistled offside.  In the 83rd minute of play, a series of passes found defender Sam Stockley open on the right hand side of the Strikers’ box.  Stockley’s cross found the head of a RailHawks attacker only to have the shot deflect off the left post.  As the ball bounced freely, Zimmerman stepped up and struck the ball past Strikers’ goalkeeper Matt Glaeser to cut the deficit to one.  The RailHawks continued to push for the equalizer, but were unable to capitalize on their opportunities in the final minutes of play.

The RailHawks were without regular starters, midfielder Brian Shriver and defender Cory Elenio due to injury and midfielder Amir Lowery due to red card suspension.

The RailHawks return to WakeMed Soccer Park on July 3rd at 7:00 PM to face southern rival Atlanta Silverbacks.  The night will include the RailHawks Fireworks Extravaganza with a post-match fireworks show where fans can join RailHawks players on the field.  Tickets for the match are available online at www.CarolinaRailHawks.com. For information about upcoming matches and tickets, contact the Cruizers Box Office at 919-459-8144 or tickets@CarolinaRailHawks.com. The July 7th match at 7:00 PM against the Strikers will also have a fireworks show.

LINEUPS

CAR: GK Burse, D Stockley (Krause, 89), D Agbossoumonde, D King, D Low (c), M Zimmerman, M Nurse, M Ortiz (Garey, 73), M Da Luz (Shipalane, 21), M Palacio, F Schilawski

FTL: GK Glaeser, D Lorenz, D Stahl, D Orozco, D Pecka, M Restrepo (Motagalvan, 89), M Shanosky, M Anderson, M Hassan (Ramos, 60), F King, F Herron (Thompson, 78)

GOALS

CAR: Zimmerman, 82

FTL: Anderson (King), 5; Anderson (Lorenz), 45+

CAUTIONS

CAR: Nurse, 61

FTL: Pecka, 41; Ramos, 67

SHOTS

CAR: 11

FTL: 12

SAVES

CAR: 3

FTL: 0