— Coming off a home defeat to the Atlanta Silverbacks a week earlier, the Carolina RailHawks reshuffled the starting lineup that had seen them through the opening three matches of the 2015 season for their 1-1 draw at Indy Eleven Saturday. Two changes integrated a couple of presumptive contributors beset by injuries during the season’s early stages—Kupono Low and Futty Danso. The absence of ailing starting striker Nacho Novo, who left the Silverbacks’ loss at just the 30th minute, necessitated the insertion of forward Simone Bracalello.

The eyebrow-raising alteration was (temporarily) consigning Tiyi Shipalane back to his erstwhile role of super sub, apparently hoping the speedy midfielder could feast on a fatigued Indy back line during the game’s latter stages.

The decision began to backfire for the RailHawks throughout a nightmarish first half. Both Bracalello and Danso exited the match’s opening stage with injuries, shrinking Carolina’s allotted substitutions and chances to actually insert Shipalane into the game to one. Moreover, a Carolina own goal by defender Daniel Scott in the 6th minute rendered moot manager Colin Clarke’s oft-repeated importance of a scoring the first goal of a match:

Indy forward Wojciech Wojcik managed to elude RailHawks midfielder Leo Osaki to deliver a looping ball over the top of Carolina’s defense. Scott and Danso simultaneously paused in an attempt to catch Indy’s Charlie Rugg offside. However, the decidedly onside Rugg got behind both defenders before retrieving Wojcik’s ball and delivering a low cross aimed for Dylan Mares streaking directly toward goal. A retreating Danso was too late to block Rugg’s cross. Meanwhile, Scott peeled off from flanking Mares and veered between the cross and Carolina goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap, who was poised to attempt a diving stop. Instead, Scott’s extended left extremity deflected the ball past Gilstrap for a 1-0 Indy lead.

Indy Eleven nearly doubled their lead in the 77th minute during a nearly disastrous sequence for the RailHawks:

Gilstrap mishandled a back pass that Rugg was all too pleased to commandeer. Maneuvering around the now out-of-position Carolina keeper, Rugg’s snap shot clanged off the shin of Scott, who recognized the danger and wisely retreated to cut off Rugg’s lane to the open goal. Indy midfielder Brad Ring one-timed the ricochet on frame, where an alert Connor Tobin—who came on for the injured Danso—parried it away. Tobin’s rebound found the foot of Indy’s Dragan Stojkov, whose short blast was saved by Gilstrap’s surer hands.

The RailHawks finally found the net in the 85th minute thanks to some terrific hustle and execution by Carolina coupled with a calamity of Eleven errors:

First, a ball millimeters from crossing the end line for an Indy goal kick was saved by forward Bradlee Baladez, a recent RailHawks signee who came on for the injured Bracalello. Baladez’s pass found Shipalane, who one-touched a liner into the box. Shipalane’s apparent target was an unmarked Mark Anderson, inexplicably abandoned by Ring trotting back into position. Seeing the open Anderson running unabated through the middle of the area, Indy fullback Marco Franco left Blake Wagner stationed beyond the far post and scurried to cover Anderson. Shipalane’s cross was ahead of Anderson, but Franco’s attempted clearance deflected off his leg and toward the waiting Wagner, who calmly settled the ball before roofing his angled equalizer. [Note how the savvy Anderson backed up to both clear a path for Wagner’s shot and position himself for a possible rebound.]

The RailHawks (1-2-1, 5 pts.) currently sit in sixth place in the NASL standings, those three lost Silverbacks points shy of a first-place tie with the New York Cosmos. Carolina returns to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary this Saturday, May 2 to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies, currently sitting second in the league table. It’s unknown how many winged RailHawks will be unavailable against a Rowdies squad replete with talent and depth. But with Carolina’s 10-game spring season approaching its midway mark, earning three home points this weekend becomes imperative.

Box Score

Indy Eleven 1 : 1 Carolina RailHawks

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Carroll Stadium—Indianapolis, IN

Attendance: 10,524

Carolina RailHawks: 1W-2D-1L, 5 pts, 6th in NASL

Indy Eleven: 1W-3D-0L, 6 pts, 4th in NASL

Scoring Summary:

IND—Daniel Scott (own goal) 6’

CAR—Blake Wagner (Tiyi Shipalane) 85’

Shots:

IND—14 (7 on-target)

CAR—9 (5 on-target)

Discipline:

None

Possession:

IND—54 percent

CAR—44 percent

Carolina RailHawks starting XI: Hunter Gilstrap; Wes Knight, Daniel Scott, Futty Danso (Connor Tobin 32’), Kupono Low; Nazmi Albadawi (Tiyi Shipalane 55’), Leo Osaki, Neil Hlavaty, Blake Wagner; Mark Anderson, Simone Bracalello (Bradlee Baladez 26’)

RailHawks Bench: Brian Sylvestre (GK), Chris Nurse

Indy Eleven starting XI: Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Erick Norales, Greg Janicki, Jaime Frias; Brad Ring; Don Smart (Dragan Stojkov 66’), Dylan Mares (Sergio Pena 74’), Osman Melgares (Brian Brown 84’); Charlie Rugg, Wojciech Wojcik

Indy Bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Jon Dawson (GK), Cory Miller, Kyle Hyland