USL News Release

Wednesday, May 14

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the USL Premier Development League Team of the Week for the fourth week of the USL season, honoring New Hampshire Phantoms forward Adrian Schippers as Player of the Week.

Schippers earned PDL Player of the Week by netting both goals in 2-1 Phantoms win on the road at Cape Cod. The loss the Crusaders suffered was the first time in 28 attempts that a visiting team has celebrated on Cape Cod’s home pitch.

“Believe me, going in there we were hoping for the best, but anytime you play against Cape Cod or any of those teams that go back to the days of the old USL-2; we expect the game to be played at a very high level,” said New Hampshire General Manager Jim DeDeus. “We are extremely happy to have come out of there with a win – even more so when we looked at their website on Monday and realized we were the first team to win there in four years. That is an incredible accomplishment on their behalf.”

Schippers stole the show midway through the first half, scoring in the 32nd and 34th minute, but DeDeusis quick to point out the efforts of midfielder AJ DuBois and defender Joe Annese in bunkering down defensively and preserving the win.

“AJ, like Schippers, is a former New Hampshire Phantom youth player,” said DeDeus. “He really took control of the midfield in the second half of Saturday’s game. Joe was a force in the back throughout the match.”

The San Jose Frogs, winners of two matches over the weekend, got a stellar performance from midfielder/forward Andrew Wiedman, who played a full-ninety in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Lancaster and still had enough left in the tank to notch a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over San Fernando Valley the following day. Both wins were on the road for the Frogs, who have now drawn even with the division leading San Francisco Seals in the bloodthirsty PDL Southwest.

Just 2,784 miles northeast of the San Fernando Valley, Brooklyn Knights goalkeeper Chris Antonio made his case for goalkeeper of the week by stifling Westchester Flames attackers throughout the 1-0 affair. Antonio collected 10 saves and a clean-sheet on the night, including back-to-back breakaway saves in stoppage time. A close second to Antonio’s performance, Laredo Heat goalkeeper Ryan Cooper had back-to-back shutouts in a 0-0 draw in Mississippi and a 1-0 win at Baton Rouge. Cooper totaled 10 saves on the weekend.

The only three-goal-game of the weekend came off the feet of Long Island Rough Rider forward Mike Grella, who netted three in a 5-1 win over the Virginia Legacy. And, two late game strikes that deserve a tilt of the hat – Calum Angus scored in the 81st minute for St. Louis that made the Lions winners in a 2-1 season opener at Des Moines and Jason Leopoldo’s goal in the 90th minute turned a loss into a draw for the home standing Ventura County Fusion who tied San Fernando 2-2 on Saturday, May 10.