PDL News Release
Thursday, July 5, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The PDL announced its Team of the Week for the ninth week of the 2012 season today, honoring Cincinnati Kings forward Stephen Williams as Player of the Week after he scored four goals in his side’s 5-2 victory against the River City Rovers on Tuesday, June 26.
Williams, a former Jamaican youth international, struck first in the 21st minute, cancelling out the Rovers’ early goal, before adding his second two minutes later. River City pulled even before halftime, but Williams completed his hat trick, giving the Kings the lead for good, three minutes into the second half.
Williams then assisted on Loen Powell’s goal in the 68th minute before adding a fourth goal himself 10 minutes later. It was the second time this season a PDL player had scored four goals in a game, the first being Austin’s Kekuta Manneh, who did so in the Aztex’s 7-0 win against the Texas Dutch Lions on May 24.
Williams was joined by another pair of players who had standout weekends in attack, with Reading United’s Deshorn Brown notching four goals in two games as his side took a pair of wins against the Bermuda Hogges and Brooklyn Knights. Orlando City U23’s McKauley Tulloch completed the trio thanks to his hat trick in the Lions’ 5-3 win against the Mississippi Brilla last Friday night.
Kitsap’s Matt Freisen led the midfield, with the Pumas’ standout recording three goals in two games as his side returned to the top of the Northwest Division. Freisen also made a piece of club history, becoming the first player to record double-digit goals in a season for the Pumas. He was joined by the Western Mass Pioneers’ Jordan Branco, who had a pair of goals in his side’s victory against the Boston Victory.
Austin’s Kris Tyrpak was also honored after he had three goals in two victories for the Aztex, including a 2-1 win against Mid South division leaders the Laredo Heat. The GPS Portland Phoenix’s Jason Massie rounded out the quartet as his two assists helped his side maintain its lead at the top of the Northeast Division with a 3-2 victory against the Worcester Hydra.
Michigan Bucks goalkeeper Adam Grinwis led the defensive group as he helped his side maintain its undefeated record with 17 saves across two games last week. He was joined by Victoria’s Tyler Hughes, who helped stifle a potent Portland Timbers U-23s attack in a 1-1 draw on Saturday night, Carolina’s Aaron Reifschneider, who had a goal as the Dynamo took two wins and a draw to remain top of the South Atlantic Division, and Ocala’s Mike Stephenson, who helped the Stampede take a 3-0 victory against Ft. Lauderdale Schulz Academy.
The PDL season continues this weekend with 42 games scheduled from Friday through Sunday. Highlighting the schedule are a pair of games between the Heartland Division-leading Thunder Bay Chill, and their rival the Des Moines Menace in Iowa. While the Chill have clinched the division title, they are now aiming for the best record in not only the Central Conference, but also the PDL. On Friday and Saturday at Valley Stadium however, they will meet a Menace side desperate to gain ground on the second-placed Real Colorado Foxes as they seek a return to the postseason.
Elsewhere, Friday night’s schedule sees Orlando City U23 visit the Panama City Beach Pirates for a key game between the division rivals as they chase a playoff berth, while the Kitsap Pumas host the Sounders FC U23 in a battle between the top two teams in the Northwest Division.
On Saturday night, the Jersey Express will try to get back on track as they host the Central Jersey Spartans in a Garden State showdown, while the Ottawa Fury will try to maintain their hold on a playoff place in the Northeast Division with victory against the Seacoast United Phantoms. Then on Sunday, the Kitsap Pumas and Portland Timbers U-23s engage for the latest chapter in their rivalry, while the Austin Aztex visit the El Paso Patriots in a crucial contest in the Mid South Division.
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 | Adam Grinwis | Michigan | Had 17 saves in two games as Bucks remained undefeated |
| D | Aaron Reifschneider | Carolina | Had a goal as the Dynamo took two wins and a draw |
| D | Mike Stephenson | Ocala | Right back had strong two-way performance as Ocala stayed top |
| D | Tyler Hughes | Victoria | Helped stifle a potent Timbers U-23s side in 1-1 draw |
| M | Jordan Branco | Western Mass | Had both goals as Pioneers defeated victory to remain in race |
| M | Jason Massie | GPS Portland | Pair of assists helped Phoenix rally past Worcester for 3-2 win |
| M | Kris Tyrpak | Austin | Had three goals as Aztex took a pair of victories |
| M | Matt Freisen | Kitsap | Hit double-digit goals as Pumas regained top spot in Northwest |
| F | Stephen Williams | Cincinnati | Had four goals and assist in Kings’ 5-2 win against River City |
| F | McKauley Tulloch | Orlando U23 | Hat trick on debut led Lions to 5-3 win against Mississippi |
| F | Deshorn Brown | Reading | Four goals in two games led Reading to pair of 4-0 victories |
Honorable Mention – Austin: Kekuta Manneh; Baltimore: Elton Joe, Kingsley Okwuona; BYU: Garrett Lossee; Carolina: Mamadee Nyepon, Andy Lubahn; Central Jersey: Claude Tahi; Cincinnati: Ashani Walker; Des Moines: Charlie Bales; FC London: Carl Haworth, Jordan Ayris; Fraser Valley: Mark Village; GPS Portland: Eric Anderson, Itode Fubara; Kansas City: Matt McDevitt, Jordan Green; Laredo: Max Gunderson; Michigan: Stefan St. Louis, Nermin Crnkic; Nashville: Iyassu Bekele; New Jersey: Jack McVey, Paul Killian; Ocala: Anthony Asante; Ocean City: Zoncher Dennis, Emmanuel Kollie; Palmetto: Jamie Ramm; Portland: Erik Hurtado, Chris Harms; Reading: Stephen Okai, Greg Cochrane; Southern West Virginia: Jason Keever; Thunder Bay: Sullivan Silva, Juan Velez; Ventura County: Gyasi Zardes, Ivan Mirkovic; Virginia Beach: Manbi Nyepon; VSI Tampa: Eric Osswald; Westchester: Adrian Foncette; Worcester: Alencar Junior.