Carolina RailHawks striker Brian Shriver scored 15 goals in 2013 to win the prestigious North American Soccer League Golden Boot award as the top scorer during the combined NASL Spring and Fall Seasons.
The Clearwater, Fla., native led the race for the Golden Boot heading into the final weekend of regular season action and scored twice to seal a come from behind 2-1 RailHawks victory over the San Antonio Scorpions.
His penalty kick finish and late winner ensured Carolina remained unbeaten throughout 2013 at WakeMed Soccer Park in competitive games – an impressive 15-game streak – and also won him the NASL Player of Week 14 award.
Shriver is the third different winner of the NASL Golden Boot since 2011 when Barbara Etienne won the scoring title with the RailHawks with 20 goals, and in 2012 Pablo Campos scored 20 regular season goals with the San Antonio Scorpions.
“It’s a privilege to win the NASL Golden Boot, but it’s as much of a team honor as an individual award,” said Shriver. “There were some memorable goals along the way during a great season.”
Injuries limited the former UNC Tar Heel forward’s playing time during the second half of the season, and the RailHawks fell off the pace during a spell that saw them win only once in six-games. Shriver returned and took over in the tight race for the NASL Golden Ball award with his 13th goal of the season in a 4-0 destruction of Atlanta, moving him one ahead of Hans Denissen of the San Antonio Scorpions and Georgi Hristov of the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
“Brian is more than deserving of this recognition,” said RailHawks coach, Colin Clarke. “He was a consistent threat to opposing defenses all season and would have had even more goals if not for a brief injury during the Fall Season. It’s a great honor for Brian and for the club.”