A week ago, the Carolina RailHawks’ season was on life support. After Friday’s 3-2 win over Miami, their condition can be upgraded to critical.

The three points earned last week are vital to the RailHawks’ chances of salvaging their season, but they are not in the clear yet. The win got the RailHawks out of the USL-1 cellar and into 10th place. Though they are tied with Miami with 24 points, the RailHawks hold the tiebreaker over the Blues by virtue of their 2-1 advantage in the season series.

Carolina got some of the help it needed when Rochester beat Minnesota on Saturday. Carolina entered the weekend trailing the Thunder by six points for seventh place. What would have been of even greater help to the Carolina cause would have been a tie between Portland and Montreal. But the Timbers prevailed 2-1 and now they’re in seventh place with 28 points.

Once again, the RailHawks will be playing for their season this week. If they are to survive, they will have to do so where they have struggled throughout the year — on the road.

The RailHawks face the Thunder in Blaine, Minn., on Friday, then square off against the Sounders in Seattle on Sunday. Carolina is 0-0-2 against Minnesota and 1-0-1 against the Sounders this season. They need three points against Minnesota, since that’s one of the five teams at the bottom of the league fighting it out for the final playoff berth. If they take anything from Seattle, then that’s a plus.

Winning on the road is always a challenge for any club, and the RailHawks have had a particularly difficult time this season. Away from WakeMed Soccer Park, Carolina is 1-6-5. They’ve scored eight goals (none in their last three games) while conceding 18. Their only win was a 1-0 decision in Miami on May 4.

Four times this year they’ve played two road games in three days, and they are 0-4-4 on such weekends. They’ve won back-to-back games once this season (1-0 vs. Charleston on April 16; 1-0 at Miami on May 4). If they win both games this weekend, it would be the first time they’ve ever won three in a row.

While history doesn’t appear to be on the RailHawks’ side, they made a big step forward not just by beating Miami on Friday, but by how they did it.

After Martin Nuńez put Carolina up 1-0 in the 19th minute, Miami equalized two minutes later. Typically, the RailHawks wouldn’t have responded.

But Hamed Diallo gave them the lead four minutes later, and Ronald Cerritos scored the goal of the season four minutes after that, which ended up being the game winner. Carolina has never shown that much life after conceding a goal. In nine games this season they’ve allowed the equalizer, and only twice have they scored again and won (they tied the other seven).

With a bit of momentum on their side, the RailHawks should feel good heading into the weekend. If they can grab six points out of the road trip, that would be phenomenal. If they win both games and Vancouver beats Portland on Saturday, then the RailHawks will have 30 points and take over sole possession of seventh place.

If they get four points (a win over Minnesota, a tie over Seattle), they’re in pretty good shape. That, coupled with a Portland loss, pulls them even with the Timbers for seventh place, at the very least.

If they get three points (a win over Minnesota), they’re happy. If they get two or one, they’re still treading water. If they get none, the season’s over. They rose to the occasion on Friday. Will they do it again this week?