Carolina RailHawks News Release - www.carolinarailhawks.com

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

CARY, NC -- Disbelief permeated WakeMed Soccer Park Tuesday night, save for the smattering of Wilmington supporters who ventured up I-40 and were among the handful of fans to took in an epic second round U.S. Open Cup match that saw the RailHawks go down 4-3 on penalty kicks to the USL Second Division’s Hammerheads after a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Hamed Diallo stood at midfield and stared blankly at the scoreboard. Mark Schulte, the captain who has played every minute of the season, slumped on the bench, the laundry list of mistakes made by the RailHawks running through his mind.

Seconds after Wilmington goalkeeper Darryl Sattler saved Schulte’s penalty kick to clinch the Hammerheads victory, RailHawks coach Martin Rennie sauntered across the patchwork Field 2 pitch the RailHawks had called home for the last three matches and bluntly assessed the evening’s events.

“I think they deserved to win,” Rennie said. “I didn’t think we played well tonight. We got a lot of plaudits this season for doing well. Now we have to see how we react to a big disappointment. We went behind twice and came back, which showed character, and then we got the goal that should have been the winner. But right to the end, we didn’t play, so we deserved to lose, I think.”

Carolina forward Gavin Glinton, an 81st-minute substitute, scored what figured to be the game-winner in the 118th minute. Off a Schulte throw-in, Amir Lowery flicked the ball across the goal mouth and Glinton headed it in at the back post.

But in stoppage time, Wilmington’s Kenny Bundy, a 68th-minute substitute, answered back seconds from full time. Off a restart, Bundy raced in behind the RailHawks defense and knocked the ball past Carolina goalkeeper Caleb Patterson, who was electric in goal with six game-saving stops.

“We didn’t really get everybody in front of it or get organized defensively,” Schulte said. “They got a good flick. Those last-ditch opportunities, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got a lot of guys behind the ball. We just didn’t get back quickly enough, and we paid the price.”

The Hammerheads took that momentum into the penalty kick shootout. With the RailHawks shooting first, Rennie sent Daniel Paladini to the spot. Sattler turned him away, diving to low to his right. The next three RailHawks – John Cunliffe, Gavin Glinton and Brian Plotkin – all converted. With the chance to save the RailHawks Open Cup hopes, Schulte took his PK only to have Sattler turn him away.

The Hammerheads, meanwhile, were perfect in the shootout – Chris Murray, Bundy, Mark Briggs and Jamie Watson all made their tries.

“Just pick a way and go, mate,” Patterson said. “And luck comes off. They got more lucky, so hat’s off to them.”

But there were a number of chances throughout the night that could’ve prevented the match from reaching the shootout.

In the 16th minute, from a Paladini corner kick, Sattler came off his line and tried to punch the ball clear but misconnected and popped the ball straight up. Schulte headed the ball toward the goal, but two Hammerheads had the line covered and cleared it away.

After Wilmington’s Bagley staked the Hammerheads to a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute, Cunliffe nearly drew a goal back in the 29th for Carolina. Paladini laid a ball off into space and Cunliffe cracked a shot Sattler turned away.

Five minutes later, the RailHawks got the equalizer. Cunliffe served in a ball from the left flank, and Diallo half-volleyed it in at the near post, his second goal in as many Open Cup starts.

Lowery nearly put the RailHawks ahead in the 48th-minute, but his left-footed rocket drilled the crossbar.

In the 55th minute, Wilmington’s Jerit Thamer saw a spectacular strike from 18 yards out suffer a similar fate.

In the 59th minute, Schulte saw his header off a Paladini corner kick go just wide.

And in the 86th minute, Cunliffe had a shot, following a nice buildup on a counterattack with Glinton and Paladini, hit the post after going by Sattler.
Tied 1-1 through 90 minutes, both teams didn’t need much of the extra time before scoring.

After Patterson turned away Watson in the 91st minute, Tim Karalexis headed in the ensuing corner kick from Murray.

But just as they did in the first half, the RailHawks answered. Seconds after stepping on the field, Plotkin headed in a Schulte throw-in in the 98th-minute.

Patterson kept the match even in the 103rd minute when he turned away Watson again after the Wilmington forward broke in one-v-one with the Carolina goalkeeper.

After both teams traded goals in the final three minutes, the match came down to chance. And like they’d done so many times throughout the night, the RailHawks’ chance passed them by.

“We deserved to lose, and we’ve just got to accept that,” Rennie said.
With their hopes of a deep run in the Open Cup over, the RailHawks will turn their attention solely to USL-1 play. They RailHawks to league action on Friday at Austin at 7 p.m.

“We can beat ourselves up over all the things we messed up in this game,” Schulte said. “There’s a laundry list that we could work on. But we’re all better players and it comes down to being focused on game day and really just being ready to play from the first minute.”