— Four years ago this month, Brad Rusin played his last game at WakeMed Soccer Park as captain of the Carolina RailHawks. The 2-0 win over the Montreal Impact that Independence Day weekend was the RailHawks’ 10th consecutive win and their 13th straight game without a loss. It was the midpoint of the 2011 NASL season, and Carolina was 14 points clear of second-place FC Edmonton,

Two days later, Rusin was gone to Denmark on a transfer to HB Køge. The RailHawks lost their next game to the NSC Minnesota Stars, then went on to eek out the Puerto Rico Islanders for the regular season crown by just two points before being bounced by Minnesota in the semifinals of the league playoffs.

The RailHawks have enjoyed episodes of excellence over the ensuing four seasons: three wins over the LA Galaxy en route to two quarterfinals appearances in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup; another regular season atop the NASL table in 2013 spoiled by the league’s new split-season playoff format. But Carolina hasn’t won a league championship, and it certainly hasn’t approached those four months of short-lived D2 dominance in 2011.

Rusin returned to Cary Saturday evening in the starting XI of the San Antonio Scorpions, along with former RailHawk César Elizondo. After a quick start, Carolina twice surrendered two-goal advantages in each half before replicating some of that old WakeMed magic by grinding out a 3-2 victory over the Scorpions.

Both Carolina and San Antonio were missing key contributors. The RailHawks were without Tiyi Shipalane, who suffered an ankle sprain last week at Indy Eleven, and defender Futty Danso, still away in Africa following the unexpected passing of his mother. The Scorpions were missing league-leading scorer Omar Cumming and midfielder Marvin Chavez, who both picked up injuries during San Antonio’s midweek match against FC Edmonton.

With Shipalane’s four goals and four assists absent, it fell to Nacho Novo to fill the offensive void, and the RailHawks’ talisman made his impact felt starting in the 22nd minute. Taking the ball along the left flank, Novo delivered a pinpoint cross into the 6-yard area that found a streaking Neil Hlavaty in stride. Hlavaty finished off the volley for a 1-0 lead and the midfielder’s fourth goal this season.

“I made a move and controlled the ball to the inside,” Novo said. “I saw Neil making a good diagonal run, and my first option to put the ball to him. His first-touch finish was fantastic.”

Two minutes later, it was Novo’s turn to get on the board. A Carolina corner found Austin da Luz, but his glancing header was saved by Scorpions’ goalkeeper Daryl Sattler. Novo’s follow-up was also blocked by Sattler, but the third time proved a charm as Novo deposited the rebound into the back of the net to double the Hawks’ lead.

Elizondo cut into the "Most Dangerous Lead in Soccer" on the cusp of halftime. A free kick off the left wing from San Antonio’s Rafael Castillo took an acute angle off the head of a leaping Elizondo in the 40th minute. The deflection snuck under the crossbar but beyond the reach of goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald.

But while Elizondo giveth, he also taketh away. In the 66th minute, Elizondo plowed into the back of Novo as the RailHawk attempted to settle a cross in the box.

“I felt someone on top of me,” Nacho recalled. “Actually my back is sore from that.”

After a brief discussion between Novo and Wells Thompson, Novo stepped to the spot and slotted his attempt below Scorpions’ keeper Daryl Sattler for a 3-1 lead.

“Nobody can take the ball from me,” Novo said laughing. “It’s no problem. We’re good teammates.’

However, Carolina again squandered a two-goal lead in 75th minute. Kupono Low’s mistimed challenge tripped forward Giuseppe Gentile just inside the area. Castillo calmly converted his kick from the spot to slice Carolina’s advantage to 3-2.

San Antonio continued to press through four minutes of added time. At the death, Castillo’s deft left-footed free kick from 25 yards out was saved by a diving Fitzgerald to preserve the RailHawks’ victory.

Scorpions manager Alen Marcina expressed frustration with his team’s lack of finishing and mental lapses.

“It’s the story of our season,” Marcina said. “If you don’t capitalize on opportunities, you put yourself in these sorts of positions. We had a few mental lapses—the second goal should never have happened. The PK was two individual errors, and we got punished for them. You can’t make those errors at the professional level. There are no excuses, and I’m not going to make excuses for those individuals.”

With Carolina having turned early leads into a draw and loss over their last two games against Fort Lauderdale and Indy Eleven, RailHawks' manager Clarke said the closing minutes of Saturday’s win carried an air of “deja vu.”

“We talked about it during the week,” Clarke said. “About that mental concentration. We let ourselves down, particularly in Indiana. We didn’t start the 15 minutes [after a weather delay] well against Fort Lauderdale, and in Indiana we fell asleep on a couple of balls into our box. Yeah, it was a little deja vu on the first goal tonight, but it’s going to happen. It’s what happens after that. I thought we showed character and heart tonight to come away with a result.”

Novo’s brace now gives him a team-high six goals on the season, tied for second-most in the NASL. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald was credited with eight saves.

The RailHawks (5-6-3, 21 pts.) are now tied with the New York Cosmos in the combined NASL regular season standings, one point behind the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Carolina’s also one point behind FC Edmonton in the league’s fall season table. Carolina next travels to face the pesky Ottawa Fury on Sunday, July 26 before returning home on Aug. 1 to host the Rowdies.

Clarke says Shipalane’s availability next Sunday at Ottawa is “touch and go,” but he expects Danso to rejoin the team next week.

After tonight's match, a number of Scorpions joined the RailHawks along the east railing that serves as the team's autograph alley. Two of them were Rusin and Elizondo, as Carolina's halcyon past mingled with its promising present.

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

CAR: Fitzgerald; Knight, Scott, Tobin, Low; Hlavaty, Thompson, da Luz (Wagner, 78’); Bracalello (Anderson, 60’), Novo (Nurse, 90’), Albadawi

SAS: Sattler; Bokar (Soto, 45’), Attakora, Rusin, Deroux; Gibson, Elizondo (Hassli, 82’) Nane, Castillo, Forbes; Gentile

GOALS

CAR: Hlavaty, 22’ (assist from Novo), Novo, 24’ (Unassisted), Novo 67’ (PK)

SAS: Elizondo, 35’ (assist from Castillo), Castillo 75’ (PK)

CAUTIONS

CAR: Low (67’), da Luz (78’)

SAS: Bokar (6’), Elizondo (26’), Attakora (63’)

EJECTIONS

CAR: --

SAS: --

ATTENDANCE: 4,108