RECAP | Eddies 1, RailHawks 1

FC Edmonton weatherd the storm early against the visiting Carolina RailHawks and earned their first point in the 2015 North American Soccer League (NASL) season with a 1-1 draw during the Canadian Tire Home Opener at Clarke Field.

Nacho Novo scored for the RailHawks in the 41st minute, while FC Edmonton's leading scorer a season ago, Lance Laing, tallied to level the match at one goal apiece just before the halftime whistle. 

Only seconds after the match kicked off, Eddies goalkeeper Matt VanOekel saved a one-on one-shot from RailHawks striker Novo. Within the first 10 minutes of the match, VanOekel made three more excellent saves to maintain the game at 0-0 and keep FC Edmonton in the match.

The RailHawks finally converted when Novo was unmarked at the back post and volleyed in a cross from Leo Osaki to give his side the lead, 1-0.

Nearing the end of stoppage time, the Eddies’ Sainey Nyassi quickly found Laing inside the box, who leveled the match with a composed finish to even the score at 1-1.

The Eddies carried their late first-half momentum into the opening of the second interval, with an early Nyassi shot on target to open the final 45 minutes of play. Nyassi’s opportunity was followed by long stretches of possession for the home side, with multiple opportunities for the Eddies that they ultimately failed to convert.

Edmonton’s Óskar Hauksson came on for Laing in the 72nd minute and quickly asserted himself in the game by linking up with the rest of the midfield to keep possession of the ball.

Despite a surge by the home team in the second half, the match finished just as it did at the half, 1-1. 

“It’s early in the season,” FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller concluded. “This is the first point of the season, so that’s a positive. But Carolina will look at this as two points dropped given the chances that we gave them.”

The Eddies are at home again next Sunday, April 19, against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Clarke Field. That match is slated for a 4:00 p.m. ET kickoff and can be seen live on ESPN3.