The Fort Lauderdale Strikers blazed a path of destruction through WakeMed Soccer Park Saturday night, blitzing Carolina for three first-half goals on their way to a 3-1 road victory.

It’s the Fort Lauderdale Strikers first win ever over the RailHawks at WakeMed Soccer Park, and their franchise’s first win in Cary since 2007 when it was named Miami FC.

The Osborne Reef is an artificial reef off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. completely comprised of used tires. Over 700,000 bundled tires were dumped into the ocean in 1972, the thought being they would attract fish and offer a good foundation for coral growth. But as the tires’ metal moorings rusted, the rubberized reef began to shift and spread. As a result, the tires near the dump zone today lay lifeless, while countless others caught ocean currents and floated up the east coast as far as North Carolina, destroying actual coral habitats in their wake. A cleanup process is ongoing, during which exhumed tires will be incinerated at a renewable waste plant near Tampa.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are another 1970s Fort Lauderdale godsend-turned-tire fire.

The neo-Strikers have earned playoffs appearances the past two NASL seasons. But through four games this year, the Strikers have proven futile on and off the soccer field, turning into a team that lies fallow at home and injurious when they drift beyond their borders.

Perhaps excessively cognizant of their opponent’s lowly position in the NASL table, the RailHawks were caught flat-footed. In the 7th minute, defender Nana Attakora pushed forward along the right wing and sent a heat-seeking cross into the goal box that found an unmarked Maicon Santos, whose middling header bounded past Carolina goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre for a 1-0 lead.

More sleepwalking ensued in the 23rd minute, when first-half sub Ramon Núñez’s corner kick glanced off Attakora’s crown near post, taking an acute angle into the far netting to double the visitor’s lead to 2-0.

The Strikers struck for a third in the 38th, when more poor marking by the RailHawks left Núñez charging unabated down the starboard flank to deliver a pinpoint curler to streaking first-half sub Matheus Carvalho, who outran Carolina’s defenders to complete a putaway that put Fort Lauderdale up 3-0 at intermission.

The Strikers, which scored two goals through their opening four games this NASL season, surpassed that output by one in just the first half tonight.

The RailHawks got a goal back in the 67th minute, when a left-footed cross by Kareem Moses found forward Brian Shriver for a diving header that proved true, cutting the Strikers’ lead to 3-1. But two more RailHawks substitutions plus a furious offensive foray failed to yield more scores, as the Strikers salted away an unexpected three road points.

The speedy Strikers quickly closed down Carolina’s formidable midfielders, not allowing them space to roam.

“I think the result was just,” said Strikers’ manager Caio Zanardi, mastering the art of understatement.

RailHawks manager Colin Clarke said their loss was more a matter of desire than tactics.

“There’s nothing tactical about crossing the ball into our box and a center forward wide open in the middle of your goal,” Clarke said. “That’s just about players not doing their job or looking after details.”

After Minnesota United’s draw at the Ottawa Fury this afternoon, the RailHawks squandered an opportunity to widen their lead atop the NASL spring season standings. Instead, the RailHawks are now tied with the New York Cosmos and just two points ahead of Minnesota United, which has a game in hand on Carolina and New York.

“We had an opportunity tonight to stretch away and help get ourselves in a good spot, and we weren’t able to do it,” Clarke said. “Everyone got a little up there after four wins, [but] it’s still very early, it’s just a good start. Every team in this league is very good, and every team in this league is capable of beating anyone on a given day.”

The RailHawks return to play next Saturday, May 14 to host Miami FC.

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

CAR: Sylvestre, Black, Tobin, Mensing, Moses, Marcelin (Watson, 75’), Perez (Schuler, 46’), Shipalane, Albadawi, da Luz (Taitague, 86’), Shriver

FTL: Restrepo, Dalton, Attakora, Agbossoumonde, Fernandes, Alexandre, Núñez, PC, Angulo (Gentile, 90’ + 4), Moura (Pineda, 77’), Santos (Carvalho, 24’)

GOALS

CAR: Shriver, 67’ (Moses)

FTL: Santos, 7’ (Attakora); Attakora, 23’ (Núñez); Carvalho, 38’ (Núñez)

CAUTIONS

CAR: Albadawi, 35’; Marcelin, 55’

FTL: Angulo, 45’ + 2; Carvalho, 85’;, Gentile (90’ + 5)

EJECTIONS

CAR: ---

FTL: ---

ATTENDANCE: 5,216