USL-1 North Carolina FC

Plotkin and Gilkerson First Division Team of the Week

Published on April 28, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. - Carolina midfielder Brian Plotkin and defender John Gilkerson have been named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for Week 3, the USL-1 announced Tuesday.

Plotkin scored the game-winning goal for the RailHawks in their 1-0 win over Minnesota on Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park, while Gilkerson's role on the backline helped Carolina secure its second straight shutout.

"Those guys, it's well deserved," said Carolina coach Martin Rennie. "They're two of the younger players we brought here believing we could help them develop and improve. And I've seen big improvement in both of them. John's an elite athlete, and I think Brian's a really clever player and he creates a lot for us."

Plotkin scored his first goal of the season in the 58th minute Sunday. Midfielder Josh Gardner played Plotkin into the box. The ball took a deflection off a Minnesota defender and went straight to Plotkin. He took a couple touches then toe-poked the ball into the frame.

Gilkerson, the RailHawks' left back, helped hold the Thunder to just five shots Sunday. With the shutout, the RailHawks have conceded just one goal in their first three games; none in the last 243 minutes. Gilkerson is one of only three RailHawks to have played all 270 minutes so far this season.

This is the second straight week the RailHawks have had two members on the Team of the Week. In Week 2, defender Jack Stewart and midfielder Josh Gardner earned the honor.

The RailHawks, off to their best start in club history (3-0-0), will face the Portland Timbers (0-1-0) on Thursday and Saturday at PGE Park. Both matches kick off at 10 p.m. EST and can be seen on USLLive.com.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



USL First Division Stories from April 28, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central