Minnesota 1, Carolina 0

Following a 1-1 draw at NSC Stadium on April 30, the Carolina RailHawks began a 10-game winning streak that propelled them to the top of the North American Soccer League. Saturday night, that streak came to an end in Blaine as the NSC Minnesota Stars topped the first-place RailHawks 1-0 thanks to substitute Amani Walker’s first professional goal deep into second-half stoppage time.

In the 93rd minute, Walker tapped home from six yards out off a headed pass from Geison to help the Stars stay unbeaten at home in 2011, run their record to 5-3-7 and stop a run of ties at home that had seen them slip into the middle of the NASL pack. With the win, the Stars became the first team in 2011 to hold Carolina scoreless and moved to within two points of second-place FC Edmonton in the league’s standings.

“Carolina’s a good team, we all know that,” Walker said after the game. “It’s a great thing to be able to beat a team like that late when I know that all my teammates have been working hard all game to get on the end of things and to keep them out of our net.”

Were it not for heroics at the other end of the field, however, the game could have ended in a familiar and disappointing draw. In the 66th minute, the ball struck an arm in the crowded Stars’ penalty area, giving Carolina a penalty kick and a golden opportunity to take the lead. With the NASL’s runaway scoring leader, Etienne Barbara, stepping up for the kick, the odds looked favorable for Carolina to take a lead against the run of play. Instead, veteran Minnesota goalkeeper Joe Warren dove to his right to block Barbara’s penalty, and the Maltese forward put his follow-up shot over the open net.

It was the bit of good fortune the Stars have lacked at home recently. In their five draws at home, the Stars have had to claw back from a one-goal deficit four times, including in their first game against Carolina, when Barbara converted a penalty midway through the second half.

“I have a little theory, and it panned out, and I ended up going the right way,” Warren said. “I was going to go the other way, but at the last minute he changed his angle a little bit, and fortunately I was able to adjust”

The win wasn’t all good news for the Stars, though. Outside back Justin Davis left the game in the 10th minute after several minutes of treatment couldn’t close a cut on his right eye. The team also lost Ely Allen to a knee injury shortly before halftime, forcing head coach Manny Lagos to use two subs before the break and adjust a formation he’d tweaked for this game in order to get the most out of his starters’ strengths. While Davis was back on the team bench by halftime after receiving stitches to close his cut, Allen was nowhere to be seen as his teammates celebrated the win, the severity of his knee injury still unknown.

The game nearly started with fireworks for the Stars after Devin Del Do fed fellow forward Tino Nunez in the second minute, but Carolina goalkeeper Brad Knighton dove to his right to deny Nunez at the near post with the first of his five saves on the night. The Stars continued looking dangerous, even after Davis’ early departure following an elbow to the eye from Carolina forward Pablo Campos that left the first-year defender on the ground for several minutes and earned Campos the game’s first yellow card after only five minutes. Former RailHawk John Gilkerson replaced Davis at the back for the Stars.

The Stars had another golden opportunity in the 11th minute after Del Do stole possession at the top of the Carolina penalty area, beat a defender and tried to beat Knighton at the near post, but again the RailHawks’ goalkeeper was up to the challenge. The Stars continued to look dangerous throughout the opening half hour.

In the 30th minute, Barbara used a dip of his shoulder to glide past defender Cristiano, but good recovery from the Brazilian defender and cover from Gilkerson forced Barbara wide, and although he was able to force a save out of Joe Warren, his shot came from a tight angle and lacked power. Barbara turned provider in the 35th minute, holding the ball at the corner of the penalty area before picking out a sprinting Kupono Low at the penalty spot with a chipped cross. Low put his powerful header just wide of Warren’s left-hand post.

Allen fell victim to a late foul as the Stars tried to clear their defensive third in the 45th minute. The midfielder’s leg looked to be stuck in the turf upon impact, and the Stars’ right midfielder required several minutes of treatment on the field before being helped off the field, eventually replaced by Brazilian midfielder Geison.

“Credit to them, they’re a very good team and have won a lot of games on the road,” Stars head coach Manny Lagos said after the game. “I felt like that was a tough pill for us to swallow to have to sub in the first five minutes of the game…and we had our second major injury with Ely Allen going down, and I had to make two subs before halftime which is never easy from the continuity side of the team.”

As in the first game between these teams, the Stars went into the halftime having enjoyed the better chances but facing a 0-0 scoreline. The RailHawks showed immediate improvement in the second half, as Campos smacked a right-footed shot off the crossbar in the 49th minute. Chances seesawed back and forth following Campos’ effort, with both teams’ defenses sliding and lunging to block shots.

In the 65th minute, Minnesota midfielder Neil Hlavaty nearly opened the scoring, only to see his dipping shot carom off the crossbar with Knighton unable to make a play on it. A minute later at the other end, the RailHawks were awarded a penalty, prompting Warren’s diving save to deny Barbara his 15th goal of the season. Barbara almost redeemed himself in the 76th minute after dancing past two defenders in the box, but his left-footed shot drifted just wide and beyond the range of fellow forwards Campos and Nick Zimmerman.

The game changed dramatically in the 85th minute when Chris Nurse was sent off for a second bookable offence after a heavy collision with Stars captain Kyle Altman. Up a man, the Stars pressed for a winner as Carolina seemed content to settle for a draw, a road point and the continuation of an unbeaten streak that started on the second game of the season.

Instead, Del Do, Geison and Walker combined to give the Stars all three points in the third minute of stoppage time. Del Do beat a man on the wing before playing an in-swinging cross to Geison at the back post. The Brazilian headed the ball down and across goal, and Walker flicked it into the back of the net easily.

“It’s a breakthrough, it’s progression,” Walker said of the win. “We know how to win. It’s not our first win of the season or anything like that, but it breaks through all those ties.”

GAME SUMMARY

Minnesota 1, Carolina 0

MIN lineup: Joe Warren, Justin Davis (John Gilkerson), Cristiano, Kyle Altman, Jack Stewart, Ryan Woods (Amani Walker 79), Kentaro Takada, Neil Hlavaty, Ely Allen (Geison 45), Tino Nunez, Devin Del Do

CAR lineup: Brad Knighton, Kupono Low, Devon McKenney, John Krause, Floyd Franks, Matt Watson, Chris Nurse, Jonny Steele, Pablo Campos, Etienne Barbara, Nick Zimmerman (Cory Miller 86)

Scoring Summary
MIN: Amani Walker (Geison Moura), 90+3

Misconduct Summary
CAR: Pablo Campos, caution (reckless foul) 5
CAR: Chris Nurse, caution (persistent infringement) 45
MIN: Kentaro Takada, caution (taunting) 68
MIN: Daniel Wasson (bench), ejection (abusive gesture) 69
CAR: Etienne Barbara, caution (persistent infringement) 70
CAR: Chris Nurse, ejection (second bookable offence) 85

Statistics
Shots: MIN 14, CAR 13
Shots on goal: MIN 6, CAR 5
Saves: MIN 5, CAR 5
Fouls: MIN 10, CAR 19
Corner kicks: MIN 3, CAR 6

Attendance: 1,616

Weather: 85 F, partly cloudy and humid