— The Carolina RailHawks visited the San Antonio Scorpions Saturday evening and gave a performance only a mother could love.

It isn’t just that the RailHawks’ 1-0 loss before 7,252 fans at a muggy Toyota Field gave the Scorpions their first victory of the 2015 North American Soccer League season. It isn’t just that the RailHawks failed to score a goal in a game for the first time this season, and against a San Antonio team that had surrendered nine goals in their four previous games -- the most in the league. It isn’t just that the RailHawks have now scrounged a mere three points out of their last five games. It’s that the RailHawks never appeared competitive against a lackluster Scorpions squad that had lost three of their four games this year.

Carolina’s competitive edge was dulled before kickoff thanks to the chronic injury plague afflicting this club. Leading scorer Nacho Novo, Nazmi Albadawi, Futty Danso and Simone Bracalello did not travel to the Lone Star State due to injuries. Moreover, Mark Anderson and Wells Thompson began the match on the bench as the RailHawks started three defensive midfielders: Neil Hlavaty, Leo Osaki and Chris Nurse.

A first half that threatened to set the sport back was marked by Scorpions advantages of 8-1 in corner kicks and 7-1 on shots.

In the 49th minute, an errant header by Carolina goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap nearly gave former RailHawk Cesar Elizondo a go-ahead score. Carolina’s only near-chance came in the 71st minute when Hlavaty volleyed a loose ball from 20 yards out that skimmed over the cross bar.

The Scorpions went ahead in the 79th minute when Carolina’s back line stopped in their tracks after a San Antonio ball ahead appeared played to an offside Scorpion. The linesman’s flag stayed down, and it fell to Billy Forbes to calmly lay a ball off to an unmarked Bright Dike in front of goal for the easy score.

San Antonio outshot Carolina 12-7, and the RailHawks didn’t put a single attempt on target.

The Scorpions saw the return of from injury of defender Adrian Cann and the professional debut of Tyler Gibson. Meanwhile, Carolina has now lost five consecutive matches at San Antonio and six of seven games all-time going to back the Scorpions’ inaugural 2012 campaign.

The RailHawks (1-3-2, 6 pts.) are tied for sixth in the 11-team NASL. Carolina returns to Cary next Saturday, May 16 to host the first-place New York Cosmos at WakeMed Soccer Park.

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

CAR: Gilstrap; Knight, Scott, Tobin, Low; Shipalane, Hlavaty (Thompson 81'), Nurse (Dell 88'), Osaki, Wagner (Anderson 70'); Baladez

SAS: Sattler; Abdul-Salaam, James, Gibson, Cann, Deroux; Chavez (Forbes 43'), Nane, Castillo, Eliozondo (Tsiskaridze 83'); Cummings (Dike 74')

GOALS

CAR: --

SAS: Dike (79')

CAUTIONS

CAR: Low (7') Scott (60')

SAS: Deroux (70')

EJECTION

CAR: --

SAS: --