USL Week 19 pro honors announced

August 18, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1) News Release


TAMPA, FL -- United Soccer Leagues announced the Team of the Week honors for the 19th week of the USL season, honoring Minnesota's Melvin Tarley as the USL First Division Player of the Week and Wilmington's Jyler Noviello as the USL Second Division Player of the Week.

The Minnesota Thunder went into the weekend 0-5-3 on the road for the year and came away with four points on a win and a draw courtesy of veteran striker Melvin Tarley, who netted all three goals for the club.

In a tight-nit affair Friday night in Miami, Tarley came off the bench in the 57th minute and was an immediate shot in the arm for the Thunder. Ten minutes after entering he had a golden opportunity for the opener miss the target, but made up for the error a minute later. Tarley redeemed himself with a glancing header on a 40-yard free kick from Ricardo Sanchez.

Two days later, the Thunder fell behind twice in the Texas heat of Austin, but Tarley pulled Minnesota level twice. Trailing at the break, Tarley flicked in a cross from Leonel Saint-Preux eight minutes into the second half. With time winding down, he headed home a Sanchez corner kick for his fifth of the season.

The Wilmington Hammerheads entered the week three points back of Richmond in the race for the regular season title with a showdown for first on the line against the Kickers looming Saturday after a midweek contest against Real Maryland. Jyler Noviello was step out of the shadows to lead the North Carolina club to the top spot in the USL Second Division with a pair of goals.

Receiving his first start in nearly three years, Noviello responded with what held as the game-winner in a 2-0 home victory over the Monarchs Wednesday. In the 30th minute Jamie Watson fired a shot toward the Maryland goal and Noviello followed up on a deflection to give Wilmington the lead.

Trailing 2-1 Saturday and needing a draw to secure the regular season championship on tiebreakers, Noviello came off the bench in his typical role in the 67th minute and was an immediate boost. Six minutes after entering he slotted the ball into the lower corner past Ronnie Pascale to tie the match and giving Wilmington the top seed after the Hammerheads had missed the playoffs entirely the past three years.

Despite playing an average of just over 25 minutes a game in his 18 appearances on the year, Noviello finished the season with the second highest goal total on the club with six for the year and snuck into the leaders tables with the two-goal week at 15th in points and tied for eighth in goals.



USL First Division Stories from August 18, 2009


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