CARY — There was little doubt who was going to take the penalty kick for the RailHawks, then holding a 3-0 lead over Miami FC, 64 minutes into what would eventually be their team-record 10th win of the season.

Gregory Richardson, already with two goals in just his second game as a Carolina forward, stepped in to take the shot and blasted the ball into the lower left corner in the 68th minute. It was the franchise's third hat trick, and the first to happen at home as the RailHawks won 4-0 on Sunday.

In two USL-1 games as a RailHawk, Richardson now has four goals. After being known as a team that created scoring chances, Richardson is turning Carolina into a team that can finish off what it starts.

"We [converted] our chances today," coach Martin Rennie said. "We managed to break them down. I think our fitness was good and we took our chances, which makes a big difference."

The RailHawks are now 10-5-3 on the season, the first USL-1 team to reach the 10-win mark this year. Carolina peppered the Miami goal with 17 shots. Richardson matched the entire Blues team with six shots of his own.

"He score on his own," Rennie said. "At this level, there's not too many guys like that and it's good for us to have them."

Richardson scored in the 39th minute on an assist to Joseph Kabwe and again in the 64th in the open field. Four minutes later, Carolina defender Mark Schulte was pounded to the ground by Diego Serna while in the box on a corner kick, which set up the penalty kick.

Luke Kreamalmeyer scored in 43rd minute after one-timing a ball that kicked out to him after midfielder Amir Lowery and Miami goalkeeper Pat Hannigan got tangled up.

Between Kreamalmeyer, Richardson, Kabwe and the always-active Daniel Paladini, the RailHawks had a offensive assault that Miami could not repress.

The best part of the win was its 180-degree turnaround from Friday's uninspired 2-1 loss to the USL-1 leading Charleston Battery.

"It was unfortunate on Friday, but the team came out and played well today and worked hard," Kreamalmeyer said. "It was good to finally open it up and beat a team 4-0 and give us some confidence."

Carolina, having gone 5-1 this month against all competition, now has 33 team points in the USL-1 and is fourth in the standings behind Portland, Charleston and Puerto Rico — all with 35 points each.

The RailHawks are also 6-2-1 at home this year against USL-1 teams.

"The best thing about the game in Charleston is that we had a game in two days to make up for it," Rennie said. "We let ourselves down in the first half against Charleston [on Friday] and we made up for it today."

Ironically, Richardson's feat came on the same day Connally Edozien — the RailHawks franchise leader in points who also notched a hat trick for the orange and blue — made his return to WakeMed Soccer Park as a member of the visiting Blues.

Edozien nearly put his team on the board in the first period, but was called for a foul after knocking the ball out of goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell's hands.