By Jeff Hemelt, Crystal Palace Baltimore

Crystal Palace Baltimore played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night at WakeMed Soccer Park against the Carolina RailHawks.

After an early onslaught of shots from the RailHawks in the first 10 minutes, Palace got on the board from an own goal in the 22nd minute. Mathew Mbuta's cross was cleared away from David Hayes, but the ball ended up striking defender Matt Bobo, and Carolina goalkeeper Eric Reed could only watch as the ball hit the back of the net to give the visitors the lead.

In the second half, Carolina pressured the Palace defense early, and as a result, Baltimore conceded a penalty in the 50th minute after Floyd Franks was hauled down inside the box. The midfielder coolly struck the ball past Evan Bush to level the contest at 1-1.

The RailHawks nearly added a second goal eight minutes later, as Tiyi Shipalane maneuvered his way past the Baltimore defense and delivered a ball into the six-yard box, which ultimately ended up in the grateful hands of Bush.

Palace was able to withstand the heavy pressure of the Carolina offense through the final quarter of the match, earning a valuable road point and staying within playoff contention.

Baltimore's next match is Saturday, June 26 against the NSC Minnesota Stars. The home match will be held at Paul Angelo Russo Stadium on the campus of Calvert Hall College High School in Towson. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m..

Posted June 21, 2010