CARY -- The Carolina RailHawks will be playing for a championship in the coming weeks after downing the Montreal Impact 2-0 on Sunday.
And it came only after a roller-coaster final few minutes in the second leg of the USSF D2 Pro League semifinals at Wake Med Soccer Park were decided by aggregate goals.
The RailHawks entered the game needing to win by two goals to advance after falling behind 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday at Montreal. In the game's final 18 minutes, the RailHawks found the back of the net twice and had a goal by Montreal disallowed in the final minutes to win the series 2-1 on aggregate.
In the wild final moments, Carolina's Tom Heinemann scored on a breakaway one-on-one blast into the upper right corner of the goal in the 89th minute to put the RailHawks up 2-0 in the match.
Minutes later, in stoppage time, the Impact appeared to have scored a goal that would have tied the series, but the score by Marco Terminesi was disallowed on an offside call.
"One of the things I love about when you win things or get to championships - obviously we've got to go win it now - is what it does for people who are in the community, how much they get connected with it and how much they get excited about it," RailHawks coach Martin Rennie said. "These players, I'm just so proud of them, and I'm so thankful to all our coaching staff that I've brought with me here."
The Impact was none too pleased with the questionable call, and several Montreal players found the linesman and confronted him after the game. Members of the RailHawks management and security interceded with the belligerent players.
It was the latest in a series of controversial endings with Montreal this year. But unlike the other two, which ended with questionable stoppage-time calls, the RailHawks were the victors.
"They had three guys behind us, and fortunately the referee made a good call," center back Brad Rusin said.
The RailHawks struck first in the 72nd as a free kick from Daniel Paladini was deflected away on a dive by Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan. RailHawks midfielder Matt Watson retrieved the ball on the right side of the goal and crossed it in to a streaking Rusin, who sent it into the net.
"When the ball backed out, at first I was going to smash it," Watson said. "But then I saw a bunch of people on our team in the middle, so I swung it past them, and Brad put it in."
Watson also fed Heinemann's breakaway on the series-winning goal.
This is the RailHawks' first time playing in a championship finals.
The other championship finalist will be the eighth-seeded Puerto Rico Islanders, the lowest seed in the playoffs.
The two teams will play the first leg of the series at Puerto Rico at 6:05 p.m. Saturday, and the second leg will be in Cary at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30.
Rennie added that he thinks defender Devon McKenney, who missed Sunday's match after being injured in the first leg, will return for the finals.
