Photo by Rob Kinnan/Carolina RailHawks
By AARON CRANFORD
CARY, N.C. — The Atlanta Silverbacks came into WakeMed Soccer Park on the wrong foot, but a tale of two halves saw the Atlanta side through with a 2-1 win against the Carolina RailHawks.
In front of approximately 4,500 fans, the first half belonged to Carolina, with many chances going just wide of Silverbacks goalkeeper C.J. Cochran’s goal.
But Atlanta would come out in the second half with guns blazing. Shaka Bangura rocketed a shot that bounced around the box in the 49th minute past a diving Hunter Gilstrap for the opener. And approximately 20 minutes later Jonathan Okafor gave the visiting side the 2-0 lead.
“Halftime comes, and certainly Carolina looked the better side in possession while chances were few and far between for both sides,” head coach Gary Smith told reporters after the match. “I think in the second period, halftime, I just said to the guys, ‘you’ve got to try to relax and show a little bit more composure in possession.’ We’ve got a good format; we’ve got a nice shape; we’ve got a way we can play. We are effective in certain areas, as you have seen tonight.”
One of those players who was effective scored the game-winning goal. Okafor was active all night, combining well with his teammates and stretching the field in attack. RailHawks midfielder Mark Anderson had some of the best attempts for the Cary side. He came the closest to netting in the first half, hitting the post on one attempt and missing just wide with a right-footed curling effort on another.
But it was Blake Wagner’s shot that made things interesting late on.
The Silverbacks’ best chance in the first came on the counter in the 28th minute, but Carolina quickly recovered, and the opportunity was squandered.
The biggest story for the RailHawks in the first half was Nacho Novo exiting the match in the 30th minute. He entered Saturday as the league-leading goalscorer, but he had not played the full 90 minutes in either of Carolina’s first two matches. Head coach Colin Clarke said Novo had suffered a groin injury, which had been plaguing him for a few weeks now.
Simone Bracalello replaced Novo, and he made his presence felt toward the end of the first 45 minutes. He and Nazi Albadawi combined at full sprint down the field, and Bracalello came close to grabbing the first of the night.
Bangura gave the visiting side the lead early in the second using power instead of placement, as he sizzled the ball into the back of Gilstrap’s net.
In the 63rd minute, Albadawi had a chance to redeem the RailHawks, who had been struggling to put a chance on frame in the second half, but his chance just inside the box went well over everyone, including the goal. The chance would sum up the second half for Carolina, as Atlanta would add another.
“I thought we, we weren’t great,” Clarke said of his side’s performance after the match. “I didn’t think the response was great, I didn’t think the quality in the final third was good enough from some of our players that you’re looking to produce that final ball, that final pass.”
For the winner, Atlanta defender Kyle Miller sent in a beautiful cross and Jonathan Okafor was there to meet the ball in the box, calmly finishing the opportunity from a few yards away. Not wanting to be shutout at home, the RailHawks upped the tempo and pressure.
Bracalello put a volley on frame in the 77th minute, forcing Cochran into a diving save. But his team’s breakthrough would come moments later.
In the 82nd minute, Blake Wagner, who doesn’t usually find himself high up in attack, had the ball fall to his feet on the left flank after Cochran parried a Tiyi Shipalane cross away, and the defender blasted the ball into the back of the net, giving Carolina hope for the last few minutes.
“I was just kind of pushing up as much as I could,” Wagner said of his goal, “because we were down. And I thought I’d take a risk, and fortunately, it helped us potentially get back into the game.”
But the Silverbacks would hold on, and now they head back to Georgia where they will meet the New York Cosmos next Saturday. The RailHawks meet Indy Eleven on the same day.
Let’s Go Atlanta!