CARY -- Despite a solid core returning from last year's squad, it was the newcomers who stole the show for the Carolina RailHawks' season-opening 2-0 win over first-year franchise AC St. Louis on Saturday night.
Forward Etienne Barbara wasted little time in making his impact. Barbara, signed from the Maltese league in the offseason, scored both of the game's goals in the first half, the first coming just four minutes into the contest.
It was the first goal in the history of the United States Soccer Federation Division 2 - a league formed for this year only as a compromise between the United Soccer League and the breakaway North American Soccer League.
"[Barbara] makes great runs in the box, and we've just got to feed the guy and have him score goals for us," midfielder Josh Gardner said.
Barbara, who has been with the team for only a week, streaked into the top corner of the penalty area and beat AC St. Louis goalkeeper Alec Dufty, a Wakefield High alum, by striking it into the bottom right corner.
Twenty-one minutes later, a cross sent from Cory Elenio - a midfielder who was signed to the team on Wednesday and didn't yet have a name on the back of his jersey - was put in by a streaking Barbara.
"We're just happy to be out here with these guys," Elenio said. "It's nice to come in as the new guy and help out right away. You want to look good for these guys because they're so solid together."
"It was a perfect goal from Cory, and it was a good goal played from the middle on the weak side. I couldn't miss from there," Barbara said.
Perhaps the sign of a new team, AC St. Louis played a man down through the game's first 31 minutes, allowing the RailHawks to score both of the game's goals with 11-on-10. Manuel Kante left his player card and passport at the team hotel and could not play without first showing them to officials.
Rather than substituting for Kante - which would've removed him from the game altogether - St. Louis coach Claude Anelka chose to be outnumbered. RailHawk players didn't notice until after the game.
"It doesn't take away from [Barbara's] goals," RailHawks coach Martin Rennie said.
"[Barbara] can offer us a lot because he's a threat with his pace, but he's also so strong that he can hold the ball up," Rennie said. "And as you saw tonight, he can finish. He only had two chances, and he took them."
A veteran back line and goalkeeper Eric Reed kept AC St. Louis off the scoreboard. Last season, the RailHawks led the league with 17 shutouts.
"Really, [St. Louis] only had one [good] shot in the game, and we got a clean sheet," Rennie said.
Barbara's goals marked the 12th time in team history a player had scored multiple goals in a game.
