CHICAGO (August 1, 2019) – North Carolina Courage attacker and July’s Player of the Month Kristen Hamilton leads the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Team of the Month, which is presented by Cutter® Insect Repellent and selected by the NWSL Media Association, for July of the 2019 NWSL season.
Hamilton was voted NWSL Player of the Month and twice selected as Player of the Week in July. She is joined by the two other Players of the Week for July: Chicago Red Stars attacker Sam Kerr, who also received the honor twice (Weeks 11 and 14), and Orlando Pride’s Marta
(Week 13).
The North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars both led the way with four players each voted to the Team of the Month, followed by Sky Blue FC, Portland Thorns FC, and the Orlando Pride with one player each.
NWSL Team of the Month – July
GK – Kailen Sheridan, Sky Blue FC: The Canadian made 21 saves and kept the opponent to one goal or less in five appearances. Sky Blue won twice during the month, including a shutout win, going 2-3-0 in July.
D – Casey Short, Chicago Red Stars: Short played all 90 minutes in four games for Chicago Red Stars last month. In a win against Reign FC, she had her first assist of the season. Short has 29 total clearances and nine interceptions this season.
D – Sarah Gorden, Chicago Red Stars: Gorden started in all four games in July for the Chicago Red Stars. Her defensive stats include 34 clearances, 21 interceptions, an 81% success rate for tackles, and 71.9% success rate for passes. She helped lead Chicago Red Stars to a 3-1-0 record last month.
D – Abby Erceg, North Carolina Courage: Erceg and the North Carolina Courage went 2-1-0 in July, helped by Erceg’s 84% passing rate and 44 clearances. The New Zealand defender has played 900 minutes in 10 games so far this season.
D – Merritt Mathias, North Carolina Courage: The defender had two assists last month in consecutive wins for the North Carolina Courage. Mathias has started and played the full 90 minutes for all fourteen games this season. She is tied for third in the league for most minutes played. She is also tied for first in assists, with four total.
M – Vanessa DiBernardo, Chicago Red Stars: The midfielder was on the boxscore in three consecutive games, scoring twice and assisting once. The Illinois native helped bring her team into third place, which is currently on a three-game winning streak.
M – Debinha, North Carolina Courage: The Brazilian had one goal and two assists last month. She is tied for second in assists, having three total accumulated this season. The North Carolina Courage is currently second in the standings, with 25 total points.
M – Gabby Seiler, Portland Thorns FC: Seiler helped keep her team in first place, with 20 clearances and 22 interceptions this season. Portland went 2-1-1 in July, including a 5-0 home win in front of the second biggest crowd in NWSL history.
F – Kristen Hamilton, North Carolina Courage: The Player of the Month had a stellar performance in July, scoring five goals, two assists, and having nine shots on goal. Hamilton has eight total goals on the season, second most in the league. Four of her goals came in a singular game, matching the league record.
F – Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars: The Australian was named Player of the Week twice last month. She leads the Golden Boot race, with a total of 11 goals, two of which came in July. She also leads the league in shots on goal, with thirty total and nine in July.
F – Marta, Orlando Pride: The attacker scored three goals last month, helping Orlando to a 2-1-0 record in July. She was named Player of the Week for the first time in her career in Week 13, where she scored a goal, created chances for two more goals, and forced an own goal, all in one game.
