NEW YORK, N.Y. – Carolina RailHawks midfielder Nazmi Albadawi was named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week as announced by the league on Tuesday.
Albadawi was recognized for his performance on Saturday night when he scored a goal and added an assist in the RailHawks’ 3-1 win over the league-leading San Antonio Scorpions.
The 23-year-old rookie opened the scoring with his second goal of the year and later provided the assist on midfielder Leo Osaki’s goal to help the RailHawks reaffirm their place as a contender for a spot in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament.
“It feels great – it’s an honor to be named Player of the Week,” said Albadawi.
“We have been working really hard in training as a team, and I’m glad we can see those results out on the field. It was a great win for us, so hopefully we can keep that going and bring back a championship to the Triangle.”
Albadawi was involved in the first two RailHawks goals, and after the Scorpions pulled one back through forward Tomasz Zahorski, midfielder Enzo Martinez found the net with three minutes remaining to clinch three important points for the home side.
The win, which was the RailHawks’ first in their last four home games, moved them up to fourth place in the Combined Standings with seven weeks to go in the Fall Season.
“I’m delighted for Nazmi to get Player of the Week, “RailHawks head coach Colin Clarke said.
“It is a well-deserved honor, not only the individual effort on the goal, but also as a first-year player on our team. He has had a very good season. We know he can score goals because we see it in training. It’s good to see that he has taken that onto to the field during games. It’s a big positive step for him and great for us going into the end of the season.”
After a stint with the RailHawks’ U-23 side, Albadawi signed with the club’s first team in 2014.
Prior to joining the NASL side, Albadawi was a key player with the N.C. State Wolfpack, playing in 45 games, scoring 17 goals, and posting 11 assists.