September 12, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One today announced the Team of the Week for Week 24 of the 2022 regular season with South Georgia Tormenta FC forward Kazaiah Sterling named Player of the Week. Sterling’s first professional hat trick saw the former England youth international lead Tormenta FC to a 3-1 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday.
After Tormenta FC’s 3-1 loss to Richmond on Wednesday, the Ibises responded in a big way on Saturday and wasted no time in doing so. Just over 100 seconds into the match, Sterling powered a perfect Tobias Otieno pass off the fingertips of the Northern Colorado goalkeeper and in for the early lead.
Confirming his second just before the halftime intermission, Sterling capitalized on a loose ball in the box and slotted the ball into an empty net. Finally securing his hat trick, Sterling powered home a goal from the penalty spot in the 76th minute to confirm the resounding victory.
“I am happy to finally get my first hat trick with Tormenta FC after several braces throughout the season,” Sterling said. “I am proud to have reached the landmark of becoming the top goalscorer during the regular season for Tormenta FC. I was fortunate to be in the right areas tonight to get the three goals, however, I want to thank my teammates for helping it be one of the easiest hat tricks I ever scored.”
“Kazaiah’s a superb football player,” Tormenta FC Head Coach Ian Cameron said. “We knew in the recruiting process that our club would be a great environment for him to find his best form again. This season the team has done a very good job in providing him with key passes and opportunities to score. You can see when he celebrates how much he appreciates and owes the guys around him, setting him up for success”
South Georgia Tormenta FC lead all teams with three players named to the Team of the Week. In addition to the six teams that placed one representative on the list, FC Tucson saw two Team of the Week entrants following its strong defensive performance against Omaha.
GK – Carlos Merancio, FC Tucson: The only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in Week 24, Merancio guided Tucson to a convincing win over Omaha with three saves and his fourth clean sheet of the season.
D – Héctor Acosta, Charlotte Independence: In addition to holding Greenville to just one goal, Acosta assisted Illia Shevtsov’s late match winner and added six clearances and two recoveries.
D – Nicolás Cardona,…