PREVIEW: Boys In Blue Set For Saturday Fixture at RailHawks

Armada FC Public Relations | June 3, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a thrilling 2-1 extra time win over USL side Charleston Battery in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night at Jacksonville University's Southern Oak Stadium, the Jacksonville Armada will return to league play at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in a road fixture with the Carolina RailHawks.

The Armada got on the board first in the 17th minute on Wednesday night when Danny Barrow and Matt Fondy played successive back heels to set up Patrick Otte, who came charging through the box and coolly chipped the ball into the right side of the net for his second career Open Cup goal (2013 with Ventura County Fusion).

The lead was short-lived, however, as five minutes later, Charleston forward Romario Williams buried the ball in the bottom left of the goal. From there, it turned into a game of attrition as the score stayed knotted through the end of regulation and the first extra time period despite many close-call opportunities for Jacksonville.

Then in a moment of sheer soccer beauty, Alex Dixon flicked a Junior Sandoval pass on to Alhassane Keita, and the Guinean beat Battery 'keeper Odisnel Cooper from close range in the 108th minute.

The win was the second-straight positive result for the Armada, which drew 1-1 with Indy Eleven on May 28 in its last NASL match.

Carolina won its Open Cup match in extra on Wednesday as well, but the tale of the tape was quite the opposite once the contest moved past regulation as it breezed past USL side Charlotte Indepedence, 5-0, at WakeMed Soccer Park. RailHawks forward Billy Schuler netted two goals in the victory.

The RailHawks own a 2-1-0 series advantage over the Armada and won the last meeting, 3-0, in Cary, N.C., on Oct. 10, 2015. Jacksonville looked as if it would get on the board first in the contest when Keita found the back of the net but was shortly thereafter called offside. Carolina then went on to capture the momentum and held firm in the back, led by goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald's four clutch saves.

Below is a breakdown of the teams and the matchup.

WHEN & WHERE
Saturday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET | WakeMed Soccer Park
Buy Tickets | Weather

THE TEAMS
Jacksonville Armada FC (1W-2D-5L, 5 pts., 11th NASL Spring)
Carolina RailHawks (4W-1D-3L, 13 pts., 5th NASL Spring)

THE COACHES
Jacksonville Armada FC – Tony Meola, 1st season
Carolina RailHawks – Colin Clarke, 4th season

SERIES HISTORY
Carolina leads, 2-0-1

LAST RESULT 
RailHawks 3, Armada 0 - 10/10/15 in Cary, N.C. | Recap | Video Highlights

CLUB QUICK LINKS
Armada: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
RailHawks: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats

WATCH
- CW17 in Jacksonville – Cole Pepper – PXP and Mauricio Ruiz – Color
- beIN Sports nationally – Kevin Egan – PXP and Chris Wittyngham – Color

LISTEN
- Live on Project 106.9-FM in Jacksonville | Kent Justice – PXP and Andy Kidd – Color
- Also streamed live on iHeart app or project1069.iheart.com

READ
- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday – #CARvJAX
- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com

POTENT NOTABLES

- Jacksonville will be without starters Mechack Jerome (defender) and Pascal Millien (forward/midfielder), who are playing for the Haitian National Team in COPA America Centenario. The Armada will also be without injured defender Matt Bahner (concussion), goalkeeper Sebastian Evers (groin), midfielder Lucas Scaglia (knee) and midfielder Pekka Lagerblom (Achilles).

- The Armada has scored just one goal on the road this season (4/23 at Fort Lauderdale) and has never scored at WakeMed Soccer Park, falling 3-0 last season. Dating back to last season, Jacksonville has been shut out in eight of its last 10 road matches and is still looking for its first road win in club history.

- Since making his debut against Rayo OKC on May 7, Danny Barrow has made a noticeable impact with his creative abilities on the attacking end. In his 142 minutes played, he has created four scoring chances, ranking second-best on the team for average chances created per minute played (.028) behind Keita (.029). Keita's 11 total chances created are most on the squad.

BY THE NUMBERS

14 – The number of yellow cards for the Armada through eight matches, which is tied for the second-least in the league for bookings. Jacksonville led the league in 2015 for most yellow cards with 64 and finished with the second-most red cards (9).

100 – The number of total shots the Armada has taken this season, second-best in the NASL.

45 – The number of clearances for defender Tyler Ruthven, currently second-best in the NASL.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada will return home on Saturday, June 11 to host in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, in a Coastal Cup battle and the Spring Season finale. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and following the fixture, the Armada FC is hosting a watch party at the stadium for the U.S. Men's National Team's COPA America Centenario match against Paraguay (7 p.m.). Tickets for the evening start at $11 for groups and $13 for individuals and can be purchased by calling 1.844.2.ARMADA or visiting armadafc.com/tickets. The club has also introduced a special Family 4-Pack promotion for the match, which includes four tickets, four hot dogs, four 16 ounce sodas and four bags of chips starting at $60.