Friday August 17, 2007

           The Atlanta Silverbacks played the Carolina RailHawks to a scoreless draw tonight at SAS Soccer Stadium in Cary, NC. The Silverbacks, 10-7-6, remain in fourth place in the USL First Division with five games remaining in the regular season.
          
          “Both teams had several chances to win the match; unfortunately we weren’t able to put one away. We’ll take the point on the road, but it came at a high price with the injury to Rafique [Hassim],” commented Head Coach Jason Smith.

           The rivalry between the RailHawks and the Silverbacks has been building over the course of Carolina’s first season in the USL First Division. The teams faced off four times during the 2007 season with the Silverbacks going 1-1-2; both matches at SAS Soccer Stadium ended in scoreless draws.
          The physical nature of the series came to a head tonight in the 18th minute when a Carolina defender took down Rafique Hassim with a vicious tackle that kept him out of the rest of the match. Although the referee did not issue a card during that play, the game saw six yellow cards with three for each side. The injury to Hassim came at a crucial time when the Silverbacks will need to depend on their entire roster during their last five games, four of which are on the road. The Silverbacks will play again on Wednesday, August 22 at 10:00 pm EST in Seattle.