RESPECT THE STREAK

You know why Crash Davis said a player on a streak must respect the streak?

Because they don’t happen very often.

What Etienne Barbara has done in 2011 is nothing short of remarkable.

The Maltese striker scored two more goals and added an assist in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Puerto Rico, extending his goal-scoring streak to eight consecutive games. He now has 11 goals on the season. He leads the league in goals, he’s tied with teammate Floyd Franks for the lead in assists (three), and he has a mind-boggling 25 points.

Before Barbara’s eight-game streak, the longest scoring streak anyone in the RailHawks’ five-year history had was three games.

But Barbara’s contributions are more than just goals. Coach Martin Rennie said something after the match that bears repeating: “The biggest thing is he’s scoring goals. The second biggest thing is he’s working for the team. That’s different for how he was last season. He’s really working for the team and setting an example. And that means the whole team has to work. If the guy who’s scoring goals is working, that means everybody else follows. And I’m really pleased about that.”

As is everyone else who’s along for this unprecedented ride. 

DYNAMIC DUO

Barbara’s scoring binge deservedly garners quite a bit of attention, but his running mate is off to a considerably good start, as well.

Forward Pablo Campos bagged a goal and an assist Saturday night, and he’s now tied for second in the league in scoring, with four goals.

Between them, Barbara and Campos have accounted for 15 of the RailHawks 18 goals, and four of the team’s eight assists.

“Those two have a good combination, they’re quite friendly off the field, and you can see there’s a good understanding on the field,” Rennie said. “I don’t think it’s as good a partnership as it can be yet, but it can become very good.”

NURSE DEFENSE = OFFENSE

The holding midfielder is one of the most thankless outfield positions on the soccer field. The position does not lend itself to compiling impressive statistics – other than fouls and cards – and the player tends to draw one of the most difficult defensive assignments.

With that in mind, we must call attention to Chris Nurse and his role in setting up two goals Saturday night. He didn’t get an assist for either, but his defensive work began the build-up that led to Barbara’s first goal and Pablo Campos’ goal in the 67th minute.

On Barbara’s goal, Nurse won a defensive header at midfield on Richard Martin’s goal kick that sprung Jonny Steele free to set up Barbara’s goal in the 26th minute.

In the second half, Nurse tackled the ball away from Puerto Rico’s Logan Emory outside the RailHawks penalty area, kickstarting a counterattack. Fifteen seconds later, Campos put the ball in the back of the net to give the RailHawks a 3-0 lead.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

The backline of Kupono Low, John Krause, Brad Rusin and Devon McKenney have played six straight games and surely would have played all 720 minutes of the season so far had Rusin not been suspended for the season opener and McKenney not stepped off the field in the 86th minute on Saturday with an ankle injury.

The depth of the defense could be tested in the weeks to come. Low, Krause and McKenney all drew yellow cards on Saturday, bringing their respective totals to three apiece on the year. 

They will have to serve a one-match suspension for card accumulation if  they draw a fifth caution.

DEFENSE NEVER RESTS

The RailHawks picked up their second shutout of the season on Saturday night in arguably their finest performance of the season.

They shut out the Islanders, who averaged nearly two goals a game entering the night, and allowed only eight shots. Most importantly, none of those eight shots forced goalkeeper Brad Knighton into any precarious situations. His four saves were relatively routine.

MAN OF STEELE

Jonny Steele’s return to the RailHawks began ominously. Less than an hour into his second stint with the club, he was sent off for a hard tackle in the season opener.

But over the last three matches, he’s begun to show signs of the 2008 player who was named the second division’s Most Valuable Player.

Steele returned to the starting 11 against Ft. Lauderdale on May 11 and has played every minute and bagged two assists in the last three matches. In the last two games, he set up Barbara to score the game’s first goal.

BACK AT IT

The RailHawks will have a full week of training to prepare for their next match, on Saturday at 7 p.m. when they face Atlanta. The RailHawks are seeking a club-record fifth straight win and looking to extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches. Get your tickets by calling the RailHawks box office at 919-859-5425 or by visiting CarolinaRailHawks.com.