The Carolina Railhawks fell to the Jacksonville Armada in painful fashion Wednesday night, losing 3:0. To start the match, the Railhawks put together a lineup that would not include their iron man defender, Wes Knight, for the first time all season, due to an early retirement by Knight less than two weeks ago. In place of Knight, Coach Colin Clark opted to start Blake Wagner, a veteran defender who is prone to join in on offensive attacks. The real surprise in the starting lineup was the omission of Naz Albadawi, a creative midfielder whose ball control and vision would have been ideal against the suspect Armada defense. On the other side of the pitch, the Armada pieced together a lineup that was missing four regular starters due to one red card suspension and a few injuries. The most interesting Armada lineup change was their goalie, David Sierra, who would prove to be a difference maker in neutralizing Armada’s mistake-prone back line. Unlike their previous goalie, Miguel Gallardo, Sierra’s discipline in goal must have been refreshing for Armada fans.
Despite spirited efforts to start the first half by Carolina, earning three quick corners, the wind under the Railhawks wings quickly began to fill the Armada’s sails. The Armada started getting some breaks after the Railhawks early push, but shots kept sailing wide for Jacksonville, leaving the game in an early competitive stalemate. The backline for the Railhawks was being tested in more ways than one. Between trying to work out new defensive chemistry and dealing with the Armada’s speed and athleticism, the lack of defensive communication and Armada’s glaring youth advantage was becoming too much for Carolina to handle. Akira Fitzgerald, Carolina’s keeper, was erasing a lot of backline errors with a few spectacular quick-twitch saves. As the first half wore on, the Railhawks composure wore down, to a point where even keeping possession for a few consecutive passes seemed like an impossible chore. Eventually, Jacksonville Armada broke through when a pin balling deflection in the goal box found Castrillon on a volley. Akira had made a diving save right before the eventual goal, and furiously tried pointing out Castrillon was offsides along with the Railhawks entire back line making the same claim, but their protesting fell on blind ears and deaf eyes. Still rattled and unfocused by the questionable offsides no-call moments earlier, Carolina allowed Jacksonville’s Barrett to slice through the Railhawks midfield and score on a sharply placed strike taken outside the goal box that just cleared Fitzgerald’s reach. This 2:0 Armada advantage came swiftly and without mercy, and was able to be sustained going into halftime.
The second half played out much like the first half, starting with an early attack by Carolina that sputtered out after about five minutes into the half. From that point forward, Armada reclaimed control, and looked like a team determined to win a long overdue victory. Colin Clark decided to make a few tactical changes in order to bolster the Railhawks attack when he subbed in Naz Albadawi and Simone Bracallelo for midfielders Mark Anderson and Austin da Luz. These strategic adjustments were quickly made moot when Jacksonville scored is third, and most impressive, goal from well outside the goal box. The Railhawks were clearly flustered, engaging in a few scuffles on the field, and adding injury to insult, Kupono Low appeared to pull a hamstring a little later in the match. As if the night could not get any worse for the Railhawks, Low’s replacement, Daniel Scott, earned a red card for an aggressive studs up tackle right outside the goal box within minutes of replacing Low.
The 3:0 Armada win was good enough to take them out of the NASL cellar, and moved them to a tie for seventh place in the fall season, one point behind the sixth place Railhawks. The overall defensive implosion by the Railhawks versus the Armada will leave them shorthanded verses Edmonton Sunday afternoon when they travel to Edmonton for their second road match in half a week. Points are desperately needed by the Railhawks to keep any playoff dreams alive. Somewhere in the sky over Wake Med Soccer Park, Carolina is shining their Dark Knight spotlight, hoping for a hero to save them and their season.
