The Carolina RailHawks have acquired forward Brian Shriver from the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The forward will be returning to the Triangle where he had an illustrious four-year career at the University of North Carolina. Shriver is a former member of the RailHawks U-23’s program led by Dewan Bader.

Shriver was a standout player in high school, in Clearwater, Florida, where he was recognized as an Adidas Youth All-American.  In the beginning of his college career Shriver was moved into the midfield where he had success, but his true explosion came his senior season when he was moved to forward. He led the Tar Heels to the NCAA College Cup where they defeated #1 seed Wake Forest in semifinals, with Shriver scoring the game winning goal and sending UNC to the College Cup final. Shriver finished his senior season with 14 goals and 5 assists for 33 points.

After earning All-ACC honors, Shriver was drafted by FC Dallas with the 20^th overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. He chose not to sign with Dallas and subsequently signed with Miami FC (now Fort Lauderdale Strikers). While with the Strikers, Brian consistently improved his game and had an outstanding 2011 season. He finished the season with 11 goals and 3 assists. Shriver was a key part of the Strikers run to the NASL Final.

“Brian is a talented player with a tremendous scoring ability. His production is constantly on the rise and we are fortunate to add him to our roster,” said Head Coach Colin Clarke. “He had a great season with the Strikers, but he is still developing. Our fans will certainly enjoy him and he will be an important contributor for this team.” 

Shriver will join his RailHawks teammates as they face off against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday, March 4 at 3:00 pm in the 4th Annual Hilton Garden Inn Durham Southpoint Community Shield Match. Individual tickets can be purchased for the Community Shield Match by visiting www.CarolinaRailHawks.com.  For more information on RailHawks tickets and game details call the Cruizers box office at (919) 459-8144 or e-mail tickets@carolinarailhawks.com.