Sam Kerr named to July’s NWSL Team of the Month

Australian international striker Sam Kerr was named to the National Women’s Soccer League’s July Team of the Month, an award for the best 11 players by position in the league. The award is voted on by members of the NWSL Media Association and is based off the cumulative performance of every player in the league for the month. Kerr is the only representative from Sky Blue.

Kerr received the honor after playing every minute of July action for her New Jersey-based club, during which she scored six goals to lead the club to a 2-1-1 record and seven points on the month. Two of her goals were game winners, while her goal against Chicago was a last-minute equalizer that prevented the Red Stars from leaving with all three points.

The 23-year-old striker’s most dynamic performance of the month—and the entire season—came on July 8 against FC Kansas City when she scored a hat trick in the final 12 minutes to lift Sky Blue past a two-goal deficit to finish with a 3-2 win over the visitors. Her hat trick, the first ever professional goal (WPS or NWSL) at Yurcak Field, also set a new record for all-time goals scored in NWSL history and earned her Week 12 Player of the Week accolades.

Kerr’s July performance also resulted in a Player of the Month nomination, but she lost by only one point to Seattle Reign forward Megan Rapinoe, the only other forward to receive July Team of the Month honors.

The award is just one of many for Kerr in what has easily been her best season. She has twice been named Player of the Month (May and June), twice been Player of the Week (Weeks 9 and 12), and was one of of three forwards on each of the Teams of the Month for May and June. She also currently trails Rapinoe in the league’s 2017 Golden Boot race, just one goal shy of Rapinoe’s 12.

Internationally, she recently helped Australia earn its first ever win over the United States before scoring her first international hat trick days later against Japan. Both of those performances occurred in the USWNT-hosted Tournament of Nations.

The complete NWSL July Team of the Month is below.