CARY -- The teamwork between Carolina RailHawks forwards Etienne Barbara and Pablo Campos is reaching a new level. Barbara described it as "(like) husband and wife," after the RailHawks' 2-0 win Friday night against the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks.
The teammates, who just met this year as Campos is new to the team, combined for one highlight-reel goal in the 81st minute, with Barbara taking a ball to the right of the box all the way to the end line before hitting a cross that Campos dived for and headed in.
The second goal, a stoppage time score netted by reserve Allan Russell, also came from a Barbara cross.
But Barbara is unhappy - not in his "marriage" to Campos - but that his streak of eight straight games with a goal came to an end. Not even the news of him leading the league in assists - he was already leading the league in goals - was any consolation.
"I'm not proud of assists. I don't care about assists. I want goals," Barbara said. "It just wasn't my day to score."
He wasn't the only one frustrated.
The RailHawks (7-1-1) are still in first place in the North American Soccer League but had some trouble with the last-place Silverbacks (0-6-2).
For the second time this year, and first since the season opener, Carolina was held without a first-half goal. Atlanta entered the game leading the NASL in most goals-per-game allowed.
"It shows us that every team is going to be hard to play against and we need to be at our best every week," Carolina coach Martin Rennie said. "In the first half we didn't work hard enough for it and in the second half we did."
Part of that, Barbara said, was he and Campos not being targeted enough by teammates.
"I wasn't getting enough balls today. Only Jonny Steele tries to play that fancy difficult ball," Barbara said. "With the level of all our players, me and Pablo should be getting more balls deep and behind, not only from Jonny."
Atlanta had its best chance to score in the first half, but RailHawks goalkeeper Brad Knighton followed up one fingertip save by swallowing up a Silverbacks rebound attempt.
"I was able to get up pretty quickly, and he hit it right at me," Knighton said.
It was the RailHawks' third shutout of the season, despite losing defender Devon McKenney, who was hurt in last week's game against Puerto Rico.
The RailHawks will turn the page on one of the most successful months in team history, winning all five games - a team record for most consecutive wins. Carolina hits the road for two games and returns to Wake Med Soccer Park on June 18.
