A season of early superlatives continues for the Carolina RailHawks. Last week, Carolina earned its first road win in 10 attempts, dating back to May 2015. Tonight, the RailHawks earned their third victory in as many games to open the 2016 regular season, with a 1-0 result over the Ottawa Fury at WakeMed Soccer Park. It’s the first time the RailHawks have won three consecutive NASL matches since September 2014.

Although the RailHawks were the more attacking side in the first half, both teams left chances wanting. In just the 2nd minute, a cross in the box from Carolina’s Brian Shriver found Austin da Luz, the reigning NASL Player of the Week, stationed far post. But da Luz’s open effort was somehow swatted away by Fury goalkeeper Romuald Peiser.

Meanwhile, Ottawa failed to capitalize on a few Carolina defensive miscues. Left back Paul Black tried to salt a ball out for a goal kick in the 11th minute, yet the Under Armour orb didn’t cooperate. Fury forward Idan Vered kept the ball in play, but Ottawa didn’t make the RailHawks pay.

Two minutes into the second half, Tiyi Shipalane took matters onto his own foot. A game of give-and-go along the right wing ended with Nazmi Albadawi playing a ball to a darting Shipalane, who maneuvered into space just outside the box before delivering a curling left-footer into the upper 90 for a 1-0 lead.

“I was trying to make a combination play with Naz,” Shipalane said, “so I squeezed [the ball] between two players and Naz did a great job just rolling it back to me. It was on my left foot, so I just made sure I hit the target.”

The goal also gives Albadawi three assists on a season in which the coaching staff named him team captain instead of defender Connor Tobin, who wore the armband last year.

“Nazmi has that young energy, he commands respect in the locker room and we know Connor’s going to be a leader anyway,” explained RailHawks assistant coach Dewan Bader. “So we wanted to give more leadership to Nazmi. He’s a local kid, came up through our U23 program and we think he deserves it for all the work he’s put in, not to mention his level of play.”

Carolina nearly doubled its lead in the 57th minute, when a ball over the top of the Fury back line found an onside Matt Watson. Watson was clear through to goal, but Peiser parried away Watson’s shot to hold Carolina’s advantage to one goal. However, Ottawa failed to muster an effective attack late in the match.

Peiser’s play was a recurring theme for the Fury, as the keeper made six saves, nearly all memorable, to keep Ottawa in the contest.

“[Peiser] had a great game, no lie,” Shipalane conceded. “In the first half, we were getting frustrated a little bit because we had good chances and he kept saving them. In the second half, we had to adjust a little bit to stay calm so we wouldn’t lose our heads. We knew the goal was coming because of our hard work and hard runs.”

Carolina manager Colin Clarke missed tonight’s match to attend the funeral of his father-in-law in Virginia, so Bader served as bench coach in Clarke’s stead.

“If you look back at last year, it was difficult for us at times playing with a one-goal lead when the pressure got on us,” Bader said. “I think this year the guys have responded great. A lot of it comes from the confidence they’re instilling and encouraging in one another … Getting that early win against Minnesota, after going down a goal, was a character builder. Going on the road and winning after going down, another character builder. The true test will be when we drop a game, how to we respond after that.”

The RailHawks (3-0-0, 9 pts.) vault to the top of the NASL table as a result of tonight’s loss by the New York Cosmos. However, Carolina now embarks on two straight away games at the Tampa Bay Rowdies and then the Cosmos. The RailHawks return to Cary on May 7 to host the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.



BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

CAR: Fitzgerald, Black, Tobin, Marcelin, Beckie, Pérez, Watson, Shipalane (Ceballos, 71’), Albadawi, da Luz, Shriver (Hassan, 84’)

OTT: MacRae, Alves, De Jong, Rozeboom, De Guzman, Paulo Junior, Bailey (Eustaquio, 83’), Steele, Haworth (Olivera, 79’), Porter, Vered (Chin, 65’)

GOALS

CAR: Shipalane, 47’ (Albadawi)

OTT: ---

CAUTIONS

CAR: Perez, 50’

OTT: De Jong, 35’

EJECTIONS

CAR: ---

OTT: ---

ATTENDANCE: 4,208