There have been 16 multi-goal games in the NASL this season, and six of them belong to the RailHawks.

Pablo Campos scored a pair on Saturday night, in the 37th and 67th minutes, snapping a goalless streak that dated back to May 28. Campos demonstrated uncanny skill on both of them. In the 37th minute, he shielded his defender off the ball to create a goal out of what looked like an innocuous pass to the top of the attack. Then in the 67th minute, he cleverly chipped the ball over Edmonton goalkeeper Rein Baart and then touched the ball into the open net.

“The team needed me tonight, and I showed up,” Campos said after the game.

Campos has quietly put together a solid season for himself. He has eight goals and one assist in 15 appearances in 2011. His eight goals would have matched Barbara’s single-season club record of 2010 had Barbara not already blown it out of the water this season (he’s at 15 and counting).

Campos and Barbara have also developed into quite the strikeforce. With 23 goals between them, they’ve accounted for 62 percent of the RailHawks’ goals in 2011.

Barbara Back At It

Etienne Barbara emerged from his three-game “slump” Saturday night with a goal and an assist. His longest previous stint of “futility” this season was one game. He started out the year by scoring goals in eight games in a row, and he had points in 10 straight.

On Saturday, Barbara assisted Campos’ 67th-minute goal, then he scored one for himself in the 86th minute.

Barbara has 15 goals and eight assists this season for 38 points, all best in the NASL. He has nearly twice as many goals as any other player in the league this season (Campos, Tampa Bay’s Mike Ambersley and Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Faña have eight), and Barbara’s managed to outscore an entire team (Montreal has 14 goals this season).

“I needed a goal,” Barbara said after the match. “It’s good to be back.”

Barbara has a goal or an assist in 13 of 17 games this season.

Miller Time

Defender Cory Miller started his second straight match on Saturday, and collected his first point as a professional. Miller’s pass up the right flank led to Campos’ 37th-minute goal.

With John Krause out on a red-card suspension, Miller filled in admirably and drew comparisons to a recently departed RailHawk.

“Look at Cory Miller tonight,” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “He set up the first goal and he was outstanding. He’s a young kid who’s got a great chance to be a big success, just like Brad [Rusin] did.”

Season Sweep

Saturday’s match was the fourth and final between Carolina and Edmonton this season, and the RailHawks finished the series outscoring Edmonton 8-2 and earning 10 of 12 available points. The RailHawks did not trail Edmonton at any point in their four matches.

Extra Time

• Saturday’s match marked the sixth time in 2011 the RailHawks scored three goals or more in a game. They scored three-plus goals four times in all of 2010, and three of them were in the final three games of the regular season.
• Matt Watson is closing in on his 100th appearance for the RailHawks. Saturday’s match was his 97th time wearing the RailHawks’ crest since he joined the club in 2008.
• Brian Farber earned his first assist of the season on Saturday, setting up Barbara’s 86th-minute goal.

They Said It

“Life is too short, and I know a team like this is not easy to find. I’m very honored to be part of this team.”

- Etienne Barbara, RailHawks Forward