Perhaps it was fatigue, a tough schedule or a string of bad luck, but for whatever reason, Carolina went 1-3-2 during the month of June. Meanwhile, division contenders put together impressive runs.

Midfielder Brian Plotkin said his team has been working on simplifying its game in hopes of eliminating that extra moment of hesitation that wasn’t there earlier in the season.

“We’ve been lacking some goals, so we’ve been working on it in training,” Plotkin said. “Just getting numbers into the box, getting around the goal, and when you get the sightline to shoot, just go ahead and take it.”

Coach Martin Rennie said his blueline will not receive relief in the near future as defender Jack Stewart, who underwent surgery after breaking his right fibula in a May 16 win over Miami, will not be returning for several more weeks. Stewart had four screws and a plate inserted to repair the damage and was expected back in 8-10 weeks at the time of the injury.

“It’s looking more like the end of August, until he’s really better,” Rennie said. “There’s a plate in his bone that still has to be removed, so he’s got a bit to go.”

Meanwhile, the Railhawks’ forwards roster is constantly changing. Forward Gregory Richardson, who has spent the majority of his career playing internationally and was waived by Colorado two weeks ago, is currently with the team on a try-out basis and has impressed his coach so far.

“We need to speak to him and see what happens,” Rennie said.

Rennie says what fans see now is, for the most part, what they will see as the season winds down.

“I think there’s still going to be a few things that we’re going to change here and there,” Rennie said. “We just need to keep working on it until we get it right, but we’re getting there.”

Two scrimmage wins over the Panamanian national team and Wilmington in the last week may not have mattered in the standings, but Plotkin said it served as a boost for the Railhawks.

“It’s building confidence for everyone,” Plotkin said after the Wilmington match. “We hit a little bit of a lull, but then I think we showed a little creativity and interchanging of positions, and the things that really offset teams defensively. I think we’re getting back into the habits we had earlier in the season and now it’s only going to benefit us as we go into the next part of the schedule.”

Midfielder Daniel Paladini, who had a goal and an assist in the second half of the Wilmington game, said the wins were a step in the right direction.

“This is exactly what our coach was asking for,” he said. “We definitely need to turn things around.”