Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan was voted the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Month by the NWSL Media Association for the month of August of the 2017 NWSL season.
Morgan, 28, had seven goals and two assists in five appearances during the month to lead the Pride to a 4-0-1 record in August. It was the first time in club history Orlando went undefeated for an entire calendar month – a run that propelled the team from seventh to fourth place in the standings. The Pride went from being five points out of the playoffs on Aug. 1 to enjoying a three-point cushion for a postseason place on Aug. 31.
The San Dimas, Calif. native was directly involved in nine of the 13 goals scored by Orlando in the month and scored in all five matches. She now has eight goals and two assists in nine appearances on the season after rejoining the Pride midseason following a successful spell with French club Olympique Lyonnais that saw her win both a league title and the 2017 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
The U.S. international began the month by scoring the only goal for Orlando in a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Red Stars on Aug. 5. She followed that up with a goal and assist on the game-winner in a 3-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Aug. 8 before turning in her best performance of the month with two goals and an assist as the Pride romped to a 5-0 win versus Sky Blue FC. Morgan then produced another two-goal effort to lead Orlando past the Boston Breakers in a 2-1 victory on Aug. 19 before capping off her astonishing month with the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against FC Kansas City on Aug. 26.
The Cal product has scored the game-winning goal for the Pride in each of the last three games. She is the first player in NWSL history to record the game-winner in three consecutive matches.
If Morgan can score in her next match, she will equal the NWSL record of six consecutive games with a goal set by former Seattle Reign FC midfielder Kim Little during the 2014 season. Abby Wambach scored in six straight appearances for the Western New York Flash in 2013, but did miss two games during that streak to play with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
It is the first time Morgan has been honored as the NWSL Player of the Month and the first time an Orlando Pride player has won the award.
The Orlando Pride will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Boston Breakers at Orlando City Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
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.
