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Men's Team Match
Carolina Railhawks at Vancouver Whitecaps FC
August 15, 2009, 7:00 PM (PDT)
August 15, 2009, 7:00 PM (PDT)
Score: 0:0 Draw
Venue: Swangard Stadium
Match Type: Regular Season
Match Number: 21
Kickoff (PDT): 7:00 PM
Live Video: USL Live
TV: Shaw
Tickets: Buy
Attendance: 5,484
Highlights: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp-t9lkN0go"]Click Here[/ame]
Post Match Interviews: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uffumnbkWHg"]Click Here[/ame]
Marlon James is taken down by Carolina captain Mark Schulte during Saturday's match at Swangard.
By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
Vancouver Whitecaps FC were held to a frustrating goalless home draw by Carolina RailHawks on Saturday evening.
Despite outplaying one of the USL First Division's top clubs for the majority of the weekend contest at Swangard Stadium, the Whitecaps saw their winless run extend to four matches, as fine goalkeeping by Caleb Patterson-Sewell - coupled with resolute defending by the RailHawks backline - earned the visitors an invaluable away point.
The draw takes Vancouver's record to 7W-9L-5D, with the Blue and White remaining in seventh place in the USL-1 standings. Carolina, meanwhile, extend their unbeaten run to five matches in the league, with the visitors staying in third place with a record of 13W-5L-4D.
Highlights
Post Match Interviews
On a pleasant and sunny August evening, a seventh-straight sell-out Swangard crowd of 5,484 saw the Whitecaps dominate the first half, but left frustrated not to be in the lead at the break.
Patterson-Sewell was put to work by the home side as early as the fourth minute with an ambitious long-range effort from Marlon James before the RailHawks keeper needed to make a better save from Chin two minutes later.
James then had two chances to break the deadlock. On 12 minutes, the striker sliced a half-volleyed effort wide of the target after Gilkerson failed to clear Tyrell Burgess' cross from the left. Then a minute later, the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international headed Wes Knight's long throw-in from the right over the Carolina crossbar.
For a debut in USL-1, East African native Khalfan was making a positive impression on Whitecaps fans, with the midfielder nearly finding the back of the net on 19 minutes with a right-footed shot that flew across the face of the RailHawks goal. A minute later, Pejic inadvertently forced a save from Patterson-Sewell after Whitecaps captain Martin Nash's free kick hit the English-born defender in the knee in the Carolina box.
It was not until the midway point of the first half that 'Caps goalkeeper Jay Nolly needed to make a save, but Budnyy forced the Vancouver number one to stop him at close range after the home side failed to deal with Cunliffe's free kick into the box from the right.
The game's major talking point occurred on 26 minutes, as the Whitecaps thought they had taken the lead when James forced the ball over the Carolina goal line on the fourth attempt after the striker connected well with Khalfan's cross from the right. Much to the disbelief of James and the Swangard crowd, match referee Dave Gantar adjudged that there was an infringement by James on Patterson-Sewell during his fifth attempt to score and blew the play down for a RailHawks free kick. "They took one away from us there," Thordarson said after the match. "The ball was clearly over the line, and the assistant referee that was in position to see that ran back to the centre line in acknowledgement that it was a goal. Instead, the referee blew it off, which is incredible."
At the other end, Pozniak was having a fine performance since his return to the 'Caps, and he needed to make an important block to Budnyy's goal-bound shot after Cunliffe had laid the ball off to his strike partner following a Luke Kreamalmeyer cross from the right on 34 minutes.
Seven minutes later, Takashi Hirano was unable to find the target with a left-footed free kick strike from the edge of the Carolina box, while at the other end on 44 minutes, the impressive Pejic made a fine block to deny Cunliffe's close-range strike from reaching the target.
Having not played a competitive match for some time, Pejic was pleased with the way things went in his Whitecaps debut on Saturday. "Even though I haven't played for a while, I felt pretty good out there," he said to reporters after the match. "I thought the standard of soccer tonight is as good - if not better - than the Football Conference in England. Some of the players here are obviously good players with good technique. In some ways, it seems a lot more challenging to what I've experienced in recent years back home."
Chances were traded by both sides in the one minute of time added on. Cunliffe struck a shot into the arms of Nolly before Khalfan headed Burgess' free kick from the left wide of the far post.
It meant both sides went to halftime level at 0-0.
The second half saw more of the same from the Whitecaps, with Carolina put on their heels for most of the 45 minutes after the restart.
Khalfan had another effort go wide on 49 minutes before Nash earned two corners with a pair of goal-bound strikes that were deflected wide on 52 and 53 minutes respectively.
As the 'Caps continued to apply the pressure, Thordarson introduced Gbeke for Haber in attack on 54 minutes, and Ansu Toure for Burgess in midfield five minutes later. On the hour mark, Gbeke forced a good save from Patterson-Sewell with a close-range shot, as he looked to make an important breakthrough.
More Whitecaps misfortune in front of goal then occurred on 63 minutes. Gbeke headed Toure's looping cross from the left off the crossbar, with the loose ball falling very kindly to James at the near post. With the goal at his mercy, James was unable to convert what seemed a simple tap-in, as Carolina midfielder Rusin made a miraculous clearance off his own goal line to preserve the 0-0 scoreline.
Though they offered little in terms of an attacking threat in the second half, the RailHawks had the odd chance. After replacing Cunliffe on 72 minutes, Josh Gardner sliced a shot wide of the Whitecaps goal after doing well to sidestep Pejic on the edge of the Vancouver box a minute later.
As the match entered the dying stages, wave after wave of Whitecaps attacks saw as many as ten Carolina players parked back in their own box, as they aimed to earn a clean sheet and a draw from their lone regular season trip to the Lower Mainland. Even a low 80th-minute drive from the hard-working Chin off a Nash free-kick pass could not break the resistance of the North Carolina club.
The Whitecaps kept searching for the winning goal in the four minutes of time added on, but after Patterson-Sewell saved substitute Lyle Martin's fierce strike on target, Gbeke headed the ensuing rebound just passed the near post - much to the agony of Whitecaps supporters.
90 FULL MINUTES
The final whistle then confirmed a less than satisfactory home result for the Whitecaps, with the home fans expressing their displeasure at referee Gantar for some of the decisions he made during the course of the contest.
Thordarson was disappointed again not to claim maximum points this season. "We played so well and deserved to win the game, but it's not the first time this year that this has happened," said the Icelandic tactician. "Tonight, we had so many chances, it's incredible we didnt put one of them away. We played one of the best teams in the league, and we totally rolled over them. Normally, you create only two or three good chances on a team of this calibre, but we had an abundance of opportunities to win the game this evening. It was an exciting game to watch, but a pity we didn't take the three points."
Both the Whitecaps and RailHawks will now turn around and head to Cary, North Carolina, for next Tuesday's third and final regular season meeting, with Vancouver also playing the Battery in Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday night before returning home to face Miami FC Blues at Swangard on Sunday, August 23.
Scoring Summary:
none
Match Stats:
Shots: Carolina 9 - Vancouver 22
Saves: Carolina 7 - Vancouver 4
Fouls: Carolina 11 - Vancouver 15
Offsides: Carolina 5 - Vancouver 2
Corners: Carolina 1 - Vancouver 10
Cautions:
45 CAR John Cunliffe
60 VAN Gordon Chin
84 CAR Jeremy Tolleson
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 8.Wes Knight, 4.Shaun Pejic, 6.Chris Pozniak, 22. Takashi Hirano; 29.Nizar Khalfan (24.Lyle Martin 63), 7.Martin Nash, 28.Gordon Chin, 25.Tyrell Burgess (16.Ansu Toure 59); 9.Marlon James, 14.Marcus Haber (98.Charles Gbeke 54)
Subs not used: 99.Diego, 2.Marco Reda, 13.Kenold Versailles, 18.Mason Trafford
Carolina RailHawks
1.Caleb Patterson-Sewell; 2.Greg Shields, 4.Jeremy Tolleson, 13.Mark Schulte, 15.John Gilkerson; 7.Luke Kreamalmeyer, 8.Matt Watson (11.Daniel Paladini 63), 24.Brad Rusin, 25.Amir Lowery; 28.John Cunliffe (6.Josh Gardner 72), 33.Andriy Budnyy (9.Sallieu Bundu 59)
Subs not used: 23.Eric Reed, 12.Caleb Norkus, 18.Aaron King
