Kehoe Named National Player of the Week
The National Premier Soccer League is proud to announce its fifth National Player of the Week for the 2013 regular season.
The winner, for the week ending May 5th, is Real San Jose midfielder Jesse Kehoe.
Kehoe is currently one of the league’s top scorers with 5 goals on the season. He has spent the past three seasons in San Jose.
The Dublin, Ireland native has a wealth of experience, including time spent with Hartlepool United FC, Hemel Hempstead Town FC, Florida Atlantic University, Lynn University, Manchester City FC Youth Academy, and the Shelbourne United FC Reserves.
U.S. Open Cup Play Continues for NPSL Teams
The first round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup featured plenty of goal scorers with four players recording hat tricks.
Hat trick scorers included Arjgent Duka whose three tallies helped FC Icon to a 4-1 win against Brooklyn Italians. Kwadwo Poku earned the honors of scoring the first hat trick of the 2013 tournament as he helped the Georgia Revolution jump out to a 4-0 lead against Real Colorado Foxes. Colorado made things interesting by scoring three times in the last half hour, but could not find the equalizer, losing 4-3.
One first-round game remains as the Des Moines Menace hosts the Madison 56ers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The winner of that game will play at Minnesota United FC in second-round action. The venue for that game changed to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. It originally was scheduled for the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.
Pairings for the tournament’s third round will be announced Wednesday.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS:
Icon FC (USASA) 4, Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 1: Argjent Duka, the brother of Chicago Fire forward Dilly Duka, scored three goals as Icon FC defeated the Brooklyn Italians 4-1. The Italians won the Open Cup in 1979 and 1991, and Icon FC is competing in its first tournament.
Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL) 2, New York Red Bulls U-23s (NPSL) 0: Markhus Lecroix and Frank Tweneboa were the goal scorers as the Ocean City Nor’easters beat the New York Red Bulls U-23s, 2-0, in Ocean City, N.J. The Nor’easters will face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the second round.
Reading United AC (PDL) 2, FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (NPSL) 0: Darius Madison and Steve Neumann both scored in the second half as Reading United AC defeated FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic 2-0 at Oley Valley High School. Reading will face the Harrisburg City Islanders in the second round.
Carolina Dynamo (PDL) 4, Chattanooga FC (NPSL) 4 (Carolina wins 4-1 in PKs): Chattanooga went up 4-3 in the 115th minute, but Carolina equalized in the 117th minute. Eventually, the game would go to penalties where Carolina would win, 4-1. Carolina will face off against the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL in the next round.
Portland Timbers U-23s (PDL) 3, Sacramento Gold (NPSL) 2: After falling behind 2-0 early in the game the Timbers U-23s found their way back in the game with the three straight goals to hold on for a berth in the tournament’s second round.
Georgia Revolution (NPSL) 4, Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) 3: Kwadwo Poku found the back three times to tally the first hat trick of the 2013 tournament and powered the Revs to a 4-0 lead. Georgia then withstood a furious rally from the Foxes but ultimately held on to the 4-3 win.
Ventura County Fusion (PDL) 3, FC Hasental (NPSL) 2: Hasental jumped to a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute but the hosts were awarded a penalty kick just one minute later. The visitors saved the PK attempt but surrendered their lead just before the half. The two teams traded goals until late heroics by the Fusion’s Dylan Riley in the 87th minute sent the hosts home 3-2 winners.
