The principal exports from Charlotte to Raleigh in recent times are a beleaguered governor, public bathroom hysteria and opponents for the Carolina RailHawks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The RailHawks defeated the Charlotte Eagles in the 2010 and 2014 Open Cups. The last year, the newly formed Charlotte Independence ousted the RailHawks 1-0.

Wednesday at WakeMed Soccer Park, 90 minutes of scoreless regulation time was a paltry prelude to a goal bonanza during extra time. The RailHawks scored five times in 30 minutes of overtime to oust the Independence 5-0 from the U.S. Open Cup. Carolina will host the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer on June 15 in the fourth round of the Open Cup.

A confident Independence held the bulk of early possession, but the RailHawks saw the best chances in the opening half. Forward Brian Shriver found two shots in the box in the 18th and 20th minutes, but Charlotte goalkeeper Cody Mizell saved both attempts.

The pivotal moment of the match happened in the 29th minute, when Charlotte midfielder—and former RailHawk—Jun Marques Davidson affixed his studs to the left temple of Carolina captain Nazmi Albadawi. Davidson was sent off with a straight red card, leaving the Independence a man down.

Still, the RailHawks couldn’t find net despite a man advantage and four times as many shot attempts as their Queen City opponent. Regulation time meekly segued into extra time, with Carolina nursing a 563-minute scoreless streak in all competitions.

That drought became a deluge beginning in the 91st minute. Second-half substitute Jonathan Orlando centered to fellow sub Billy Schuler with his back to goal. Schuler settled the sphere, then spun left and fire past Mizell for a 1-0 lead.

“[Orlando] got the ball on the wing and was cutting in from the left side,” Schuler said. “I was trying to give him an option. He played [the ball] to my left foot, which was great. As I took my touch, I could feel my defender. I spun and got my shot off. I barely even saw it, but put it in the far corner.”

Charlotte manager Mike Jeffries observed fatigue and their man disadvantage finally caught up with his team on the RailHawks first goal.

“Obviously, the red card changes the complexion of the game completely,” Jeffries said. “From there, we showed a lot of grit and character. The RailHawks are a good technical group and it’s a big field, so they stretched us out.”

Carolina doubled their advantage in the 96th minute, when Albadawi drove lateral from right to left along the top of the box until he found six inches of space and fired a curler past Mizel. It’s Albadawi’s first goal in all competitions this season.

The floodgates opened a minute later. A blocked Shipalane shot fell to Albadawi, who tapped it to Shriver for the open-goal putaway and 3-0 command.

In the 109th minute, Orlando found a goal of his own, his first a a pro. He blazed a trail toward goal, staggering defender Patrick Slogic in the process, before firing across Mizell’s face for a 4-0 score.

“I saw the defender running backwards facing his goal, and once I see you do that I know that I have an advantage,” Orlando said. “When I dipped my shoulder to the left, I saw him turn his back. Once he turned his back, I turned back to the right and he was gone. It was then an easy slot past the goalie.”

Wednesday was Orlando’s second appearance for the RailHawks after the 28-year-old pro rookie entered preseason as an unsigned trialist.

“I’m speechless,” Orlando beamed. “I’ve come a long way. This is my first pro contract … I’ve been through a lot of downs and low times in my life. [The RailHawks] gave me a chance. I went from dropping out of college and quitting soccer for about five years. Here I am … it’s unbelievable.”

For good measure, Shriver centered to Schuler cutting through the Charlotte back line in the 115th minute. Schuler found the handle before slotting past Mizel for the 5-0 final tally.

“Shriver came in [from the left], and he ends up cutting inside,” Schuler said. “Jon Orlando made a run and took a defender with him. I was wide open, took my first touch, the defender went to ground and I was able to just chip it over him.”

The RailHawks snapped a four-game winless skid that saw the club score a single goal over that span. With the hope of newfound confidence at their backs, Carolina has a quick turnaround as it hosts the Jacksonville Armada this Saturday, June 4 for the final home match of the NASL spring season.

“It’s been a tough run of games for us,” Clarke admitted. “We knew what the award was going to be before the game started: another home game against an MLS team. It was a game we wanted to win, needed to win and score some goals. We got all those things out of it.”

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

CAR: Fitzgerald, Beckie, Black, Mensing, Tobin, Perez (Orlando, 86’), Watson, Shipalane (Kelley, 108’), Albadawi, da Luz (Schuler, 86’), Shriver

CLT: Mizell, Duckett, Johnson (Pfeffer, 104’), Slogic, Kalungi, Davidson, Ekra, Estrada (Hilton, 46’), E. Martinez (Herrera, 83’), Calvert, Brown

GOALS

CAR: Schuler, 92’ (Orlando); Albadawi, 96’; Shriver, 97’ (Albadawi); Orlando, 109’; Schuler, 115’ (Shriver)

CLT: ---

CAUTIONS

CAR: Slogic, 75’, Herrera, 114’

CLT: ---

EJECTIONS

CAR: ---

CLT: Davidson, 29’

ATTENDANCE: 1,769