Bulgarian veteran scores hat trick in Tampa Bayâ€™s 4-1 win on Saturday

After a hat-trick performance in his 100th NASL regular-season appearance, Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov has been named Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.

The 31-year-old forward found the back of the net three times in Tampa Bay’s 4-1 win over rival Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night. Following an early goal for the Strikers at Central Broward Stadium, Hristov and his teammates were in control the rest of the way. The Bulgarian veteran scored in the 15th, 43rd, and 83rd minutes to help the Rowdies edge even closer to a potential postseason position.

"It's always nice to receive a Player of the Week honor,” Hristov said. “The most important thing is that we're getting closer and closer to one of our goals, which is a spot in the playoffs. I’m happy that my three goals helped give us a win over one of our biggest rivals."

Hristov’s first goal came when English star Joe Cole picked out the former Levski Sofia star’s back-post run for an easy tap-in. Just before halftime, with his team up a goal after a strike from Tom Heinemann, Hristov fired home a rebound that came from a shot by teammate Darnell King. With the game winding down, he completed his hat trick, again benefitting from a rebound off the hands of Strikers goalkeeper Bruno. It was fellow forward Carlos Preciado that was denied on the occasion, setting up another tap-in for Hristov.

"Georgi had a great match on Saturday, scoring the first hat trick in modern Rowdies history,” Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell said. “His three goals helped us overcome an early one-goal deficit and take home the three points. Georgi works extremely hard during the week to prepare for every match and I'm happy to see him earn this honor."

The convincing victory puts Tampa Bay just one point behind Minnesota, which currently holds the fourth and final spot in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament. The Rowdies also have a game in hand on the Loons, as do the RailHawks, Strikers, and Miami FC, who are all not far behind in the chase for a postseason berth.

The 2016 season has been another stellar one for Hristov, who now has a team-leading eight goals. The veteran forward has been reliable for the Rowdies since joining the club from Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia in 2013. In 100 regular-season appearances in the league, he has tallied 31 goals and 24 assists. Before coming to the NASL, Hristov spent his entire career in the Bulgarian ranks, with the exception of a short loan stint with Polish side Wisla Krakow in 2010.

Tampa Bay is one of only four clubs without a midweek game this week. The same can’t be said for their Saturday opponent, Miami FC, which hosts Ottawa Fury FC on Wednesday night. The Rowdies will kick off their contest against Miami FC at Al Lang Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 (U.S.) and NASL.com (Canada).