PDL News Release
Thursday, May 24, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The PDL announced its Team of the Week for the third week of the 2012 season today, honoring Portland Timbers U-23s forward Mark Sherrod as Player of the Week after he had a hat trick in his side’s 4-1 victory against the Victoria Highlanders this past Saturday night, allowing the Timbers U-23s to maintain their perfect start to the season.
Sherrod, a standout at the University of Memphis, was a force throughout the contest, and bagged his first goal of the game two minutes before halftime on a solo effort that saw him pick up possession near the halfway line before driving into the penalty area and finishing.
Sherrod added a second on the hour-mark, latching onto a through-ball by Andrew Ribeiro to the top of the penalty area before slotting his finish home. He then completed his hat trick in the 71st minute, heading home at the back post from Cameron Vickers’ cross from the right corner.
Sherrod now has five goals in his first two games of the season for the Timbers, and became the third player in Timbers U-23s history to record a hat trick for the club, following Ryan Youngblood and current Timbers First Team member Brent Richards.
Sherrod was joined on the Team of the Week by another pair of standout forwards, with Kris Trypak notching a hat trick for the Austin Aztex in their home opener against the El Paso Patriots and the Ocala Stampede’s Carlos Araujo having two goals in his side’s 4-3 win against the FC Jax Destroyers.
Three of the midfielders hail from the Western Conference, with Orange County’s Kevin Bick putting in a pair of standout performances as the Blue Star claimed two victories, including ending the Fresno Fuego’s 28-game regular season undefeated streak. He is joined by Kitsap’s Matt Friesen, who had a pair of goals in his side’s 3-1 win against the Sounders FC U-23, and Ventura County’s Frankie Lopez, who had a hand in all three goals in the Fusion’s 3-0 win against the Ogden Outlaws.
Ocean City goalkeeper John McCarthy is honored after recording a shutout in his side’s opening game of the season, a 2-0 road win against the Baltimore Bohemians, while the defense sees Reading’s Greg Cochrane rewarded for his standout display in United’s 1-0 win against the Long Island Rough Riders.
The PDL season continues this weekend with 36 games scheduled from Friday through Sunday. Among the games to watch out for is the Central Jersey Spartans’ visit to face Reading United on Friday night, which also sees the River City Rovers try to maintain their perfect start to the season as the Chicago Inferno host their home opener. Saturday sees a contest in the PDL’s version of the Cascadia Cup as the Portland Timbers U-23s travel to face the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23, while Sunday sees two sides off to good starts in the Fredericksburg Hotspur and Palmetto FC Bantams meet at the University of South Carolina.
Stay up to date with all of the action through the PDL’s Twitter feed and Facebook page, which will provide nightly updates of scores from across North America, and links to news, previews and game reports.
PDL Team of the Week
| Pos | Player | Team | Highlights |
| GK | John McCarthy | Ocean City | Recorded six saves as the Nor’easters got off to a winning start on road |
| D | Greg Cochrane | Reading | Strong defensive performance, and had assist on game-winning goal |
| D | James Aldred | IMG Bradenton | Put in pair of solid performances as Academics remained undefeated |
| D | Dom Papa | Tucson | Got forward well, and defended solidly, as FC Tucson won home opener |
| M | Tom McReady | Carolina | A pair of goals led Dynamo to 3-1 victory in Nashville |
| M | Matt Friesen | Kitsap | Scored twice, including long-range volley, in 3-1 victory |
| M | Frankie Lopez | Ventura County | Had a hand in all three goals as Fusion defeated Ogden |
| M | Kevin Bick | Orange County | Put in pair of standout holding performances as Blue Star kept rolling |
| F | Mark Sherrod | Portland | Scored hat trick as Timbers U-23s took big win against Highlanders |
| F | Kris Trypak | Austin | Hat trick for Aztex by Austin native keyed victory in home opener |
| F | Carlos Araujo | Ocala | Another pair of goals helped Stampede to wild 4-3 win against Destroyers |
Honorable Mention – Austin: Zack Pope, Kekuta Manneh; Boston: Jordan Bar; Brooklyn: Stefan Dimitrov; Carolina: Sebastian Ibeagha, Hakan Ilhan; CFC: Matt Sangeloty; Des Moines: Luis Piffer, Brent Kallman; FC London: Jordan Ayris, Tom Owens; Fredericksburg: Tishan Hanley; IMG Bradenton: Milovan Kapor, Patrick Toh; Kansas City: Nick McDonald. Kitsap: Ben Truax; Laredo: Ernesto Serrato; Michigan: Tom Catalano; North Sound: Abdu Aman; Ocean City: Max Hamilton, Terry Gibbs; Orange County: Andrew Reimer, Adrian Avila; Portland: Andrew Ribeiro, Marc Tonkel; Reading: Ryan Finley; Real Maryland: Bush Yormie; Southern West Virginia: Erik Mozzo; Tucson: Donny Toia; Ventura County: Rodrigo Lopez; Vermont: Fabian Barancoski; Virginia Beach: Charles Nweke; VSI Tampa: Sebastian Thuriere, Max Rockwell; Worcester: Alencar Junior.