RailHawks Down To Last Game.
The RailHawks will return to WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., down 2-0 on aggregate. If the RailHawks are up by 2 after 90 minutes on Saturday, the game will head into a 30 minute overtime period, and if necessary, penalty kicks.
After a scoreless first half, Sandy Gbandi put the Islanders on top 1-0 in the 49th minute. Gbandi gained possession of a long throw-in from Marco Velez and fired the ball past Eric Reed. Tom Heinemann nearly evened the score a minute later, but his header deflected off the post and wide.
The Carolina RailHawks opened the home-and-home semifinals of the USSF Division-2 playoffs by dropping a 1-0 decision in Montreal.
No cause for panic. What they would need in the return match at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary was a 2-0 win to clinch the series.
That is exactly what they got on goals from Brad Rusin and Heinemann.
“I’m just really proud of the players, the way they’ve battled over the two legs,” said RailHawks head coach Martin Rennie. “Montreal is such a tough opponent to play and we’re just so excited to get the RailHawks into their first final.
The game in Cary was scoreless at halftime, which left the RailHawks down 1-0 on aggregate with 45 minutes left to play.
In the 72nd minute Daniel Paladini served in a free kick from the left midfield that created a chaotic flurry. The ball fell to Floyd Franks who field a quick shot that Matt Jordan initially turned away. Matt Watson gained control of the rebound and played a low cross to Rusin, who finished the goal.
With little time left on the clock and the game looking at sudden death overtime, Heinemann slammed the ball into the upper right corner of the goal in the 89th minute.
Game over and the RailHawks advance
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Interesting to note that this is not Heinemann’s first run at a postseason championship this year. He was a key player for the Charleston Battery in its 2010 USL-2 championship, and was picked up by the RailHawks after the Battery’s season was concluded.
Carolina is likely to take some satisfaction from the win in that it came against the Impact, which are the defending 2009 USL First Division champions. The teams met four times during the regular season, none of which turned out to be what you might call “friendly.”
Carolina and Puerto Rico will meet in the first leg of the Championship Series on Oct. 24 in Bayamon, PR. The RailHawks host the second leg on Oct. 30.
The Islanders were the eighth seeds in postseason play. They played Vancouver to two scoreless games, forcing a 30-minute extra period, which the Islanders won 2-0.
Puerto Rico got out of the first round with a 2-0 win and a 1-0 loss to the Rochester Rhinos, giving them a 2-1 aggregate victory.
The RailHawks opened with a 0-0 draw with NSC Minnesota Stars, but advanced to the semifinals by beating the Stars, 4-0, in the second leg.