Sam Kerr Named NWSL Player of the Month

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Media Association has named Sky Blue FC forward Sam Kerr as the NWSL Player of the Month for the month of May. This marks the first time she has received this acknowledgement.

“We are proud of Sam for winning this award,” said Sky Blue FC head coach Christy Holly in a team press release. “She is very deserving of the honor, and it is exemplary of what we see from her day in and day out at training. The most exciting thing is that the best is yet to come from her performances, as well as those players around her. As excited as we are for Sam, she would be the first to say that every bit of success our team achieves is a collective effort.”

During the month of May, Kerr registered two games where she scored one goal and added an assist to help her club earn three wins out of five matches. Sky Blue FC currently sits in third place on the NWSL table, just two points away from the top spot. The Australian international has tallied 28 goals throughout her NWSL career and is two away from becoming just the third player in league history to eclipse the 30-goal mark.

In her most recent outing, Kerr was the spark in Sky Blue FC’s 2-1 triumph against the Orlando Pride. The victory marked the New Jersey side’s third consecutive win at home this season. Kerr scored a 43rd minute equalizer before sending a perfectly placed header to forward Maya Hayes for the late game-winner in the 82nd minute. Kerr’s first half goal was her 13th since joining Sky Blue FC in 2015, which ties her with Nadia Nadim for the most in franchise history.

Kerr has been named the NWSL Player of the Week twice in her career, but this would mark the first time she has been honored as the NWSL Player of the Month. She is also the first Sky Blue FC player to receive this accolade since August 2014 (Nadim). The other two SBFC players to earn this recognition are Brittany Cameron (May 2013) and Monica Ocampo (August 2013).

Sky Blue FC looks to remain perfect at Yurcak Field this season when the club returns to action on Saturday, June 3 to host Portland Thorns FC.