Brian Shriver And RailHawks Hitting On All Cylinders

Photo credit: Matt May/Tampa Bay Rowdies

Returning to the Carolina RailHawks, where he won the NASL’s Golden Boot in 2013, was something of a revelation for striker Brian Shriver.

The native of Clearwater, Fla., had spent the past two seasons with his hometown Tampa Bay Rowdies before returning to the area where he played college ball at the University of North Carolina. Little remained the same.

“It’s just been awesome so far,” Shriver told NASL.com. “It’s been pretty incredible seeing how much the club has changed and this group of guys is definitely better than it was when I was here before (2012-13). Just the entire feel around the club. We have that broadcast deal and there’s some other stuff, like the club stepping up marketing and getting out to the community and bringing fans out. Just stuff that Steve (the club’s new owner, Stephen Malik) has provided the front office with to promote the club. It has been awesome to see.

“It’s a night-and-day difference.”

The RailHawks take their unbeaten record to New York to face the suddenly Cosmos, who have lost their last two matches. With Shriver as the target man, Carolina has scored nine goals to lead the league and has also amassed eight team assists, double the number of Minnesota and Rayo OKC in second place.

“With the guys we have Tiyi [Shipalane] and Austin [da Luz, who is tied for the league lead with three goals] out wide, it’s been an incredible start to the season for us scoring goals,” Shriver said. “Both Nazmi [Albadawi, who leads the league with four assists] and myself have been close in the first few games scoring ourselves. With Naz in a central position he’s been a facilitator for quite a few goals. Anyone in the top-six positions on the field is more than capable of scoring at any time. Even this past weekend you saw [James] Marcelin get one from center back. We all know how good a player he is. He can score from center back or in the midfield.”

Shriver, who won the Golden Boot with 15 goals in 2013, broke into the goalscoring column late in last Saturday’s 3-1 win at Tampa Bay. He converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute, but 40 minutes earlier Shriver appeared to be in prime position to power an Albadawi cross past Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens before Marcelin, who was named to the league’s Team of the Week, intervened and got a leg up on his teammate.

“Yeah, I was there,” Shriver said. “I did not see James until his foot came in front. It was a great finish and if he didn’t get a touch I would have put it in. I was just as happy to see ball go in the net.”

Carolina’s ascent to the top of the NASL’s Spring Season Standings comes with the benefit of a revamped defensive setup. The addition of Marcelin, Paul Black, and Drew Beckie, among others, has given the back line a new-found stability in front of goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. While the club has allowed a respectable four goals against so far this season, the offense received a boost when players other than da Luz and Shipalane scored against the Rowdies.

“We got three goals from three different players (Marcelin, Álex Pérez and Shriver) all scoring their first goal of the season,“ RailHawks coach Colin Clarke told the club’s website. “From back to front, this team is playing like a unit. To go on the road and win is not easy. I am super proud of this entire team and this entire organization.”

Sunday’s game against New York finds the Cosmos in a tough position. They have lost two straight games after allowing late goals in losses at Indy Eleven and last week at Minnesota. The Cosmos could be seen as a wounded animal, dangerous and desperate because a RailHawks’ victory would open a nine-point gap between the teams as they battle for a Spring Season title and the berth in The Championship, plus a semifinal home game in November that would go with it.

“Obviously, with the way the league is set up, you have to go into every game in the Spring Season with the mentality that it’s almost a must-win game,” Shriver said. “We know they are going to be extremely hungry to get a win coming off two losses on late goals in both. Like every game, we will try to come out and impose our style and hope we can get a win on the road.”