photo courtesy of Carolina RailHawks FC
By FRANCO PANIZO
A week after picking up their first win of the season over the first place team, the Carolina RailHawks continued to shock by beating second-place Minnesota Stars FC in embarrassing fashion.
The RailHawks handed the defending champions their first loss of the season with a 5-1 victory at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday. Five different players found the back of the net for the hosts, including former Columbus Crew forward Jason Garey.
Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half on goals from Austen King and Nick Zimmerman, but Simone Bracalello looked to spark a rally when he found the back of the net for Minnesota just before halftime.
There was no rally. Brian Shriver scored early in the second half for the RailHawks, while Zack Schilawski and Garey added goals to give the 2,580 fans in attendance their first rout of the season and second straight home win.
Here is a look back at the rest of the Week 10 action in NASL:
LATE GOALS GIVE ISLANDERS WIN OVER ROWDIES
The Puerto Rico Islanders solidified their place atop the table on Saturday, scoring a pair of late goals to top the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2-0, at Bayamon Soccer Complex. The game appeared headed for a scoreless draw, but Jay Needham gave the 1,012 supporters a reason to celebrate when he scored the winner in the 81st minute. Jarad Van Schaik then added an insurance goal in stoppage time to help improve Puerto Rico to 6-2-2 on the season.
CAMPOS INSPIRES SCORPIONS TO VICTORY AGAINST SILVERBACKS
The San Antonio Scorpions moved into second place in the league standings this weekend, and they can thank Pablo Campos for that. Campos scored twice and set up another goal in the Scorpions' 3-0 win against the Atlanta Silverbacks at Heros Stadium on Saturday. He knocked in the winner before assisting on a Walter Ramirez goal in the first half, and Campos then scored a brace with a second-half strike that sent the crowd of 7,007 into a frenzy.
10-MAN FC EDMONTON SEES OFF FT. LAUDERDALE
FC Edmonton had a man disadvantage for nearly an hour of play, but that did not stop them from beating the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. The Eddies picked up a 1-0 win over the Strikers in front of a crowd of 1,496 at Clarke Stadium on Sunday courtesy of a second-half goal from Michael Cox. The 66th-minute finish came following Antonio Rago's red card in the 32nd and goalkeeper Lance Parker's penalty kick save against Strikers forward Abe Thompson a minute later.
NASL Standings
1. Puerto Rico Islanders (6-2-2, 20 points, +12 GD)
2. San Antonio Scorpions (5-1-4, 19 points, +5 GD)
3. Minnesota Stars FC (4-1-5, 17 points, +2 GD)
4. Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (3-4-4, 13 points, -3 GD)
5. Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-5-3, 12 points, -4 GD)
6. FC Edmonton (3-5-2, 11 points, 0 GD)
7. Carolina RailHawks (2-4-5, 11 points, -2 GD)
8. Atlanta Silverbacks (1-5-5, 8 points, -10 GD)
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What do you think of this weekend's NASL action? Has Carolina turned things around? Impressed with Campos' performance in the Scorpions' win?
Share your thoughts below.
Railhawk: 1) A hawk that lives near railroad tracks. 2) The nickname of the Carolina Railhawks football (socccer) club, who are the NASL’s defending regular season champions. NASL is sanctioned by the USSF as a second-tier league with teams in, primarily, the USA. The team’s nickname derives from the many hawks in the area around the stadium and the railroad line adjacent to it.
i actually find the NASL a more exciting league than the MLS.
Something needs to give in Tampa Bay. Hill needs to make changes or owners need to make changes.
“What’s a Railhawk?”