Samantha Kerr scored two goals and assists on two others for Sky Blue FC in May. (Photo courtesy of Sky Blue FC)
CHICAGO — Sky Blue FC forward Samantha Kerr was voted the National Women’s Soccer League player of the month for May by the NWSL Media Association.
Kerr, 23, had two goals and two assists to help Sky Blue FC post a 3-2-0 record to climb into third place, winning three or more games in a month for the fourth time in club history.
“We are proud of Sam for winning this award,” Sky Blue FC head coach Christy Holly said. “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.”
The 10 goals scored in May by Sky Blue FC team were the second-most by the club in any calendar month and the 2.00 goals per game for the month matched Sky Blue FC’s all-time high.
The Jersey outfit scored multiple goals in a game in four out of five games in May after managing the feat five times last season.
The Freemantle, Australia native finished May with 28 career NWSL goals – two shy of becoming just the third player in league history to reach the 30-goal plateau. She scored her first goal of the season to help seal a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dash on May 13 in a match in which she also tallied her first assist of the 2017 campaign.
Kerr produced her second one-goal, one-assist performance to propel Sky Blue FC to a comeback 2-1 victory over the Orlando Pride on May 27 as she recorded the game-tying goal in the 43rd minute off an assist from Daphne Corboz before she herself turned provider with a perfectly-placed through ball to set up Maya Hayes for the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute.
The Australia international featured in all five matches in May for Sky Blue FC, making four starts and playing 392 minutes while registering 14 shots – eight of which were on target – according to Opta. Her 17 shots this season are tied for sixth in the league and her 13 shots on goal are tied for third.
Kerr has twice been named the NWSL player of the week, but this is the first time she has been honored as player of the month and the fourth time a Sky Blue FC player earned the accolade – following in the footsteps of Brittany Cameron (May 2013), Monica Ocampo (August 2013) and Nadia Nadim (August 2014).
Sky Blue FC will return to action against the Portland Thorns at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. Saturday at 7 p.m.
The NWSL Player of the Month is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis. For more information on the NWSL Media Association, follow them on Twitter.
