The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has announced that Seattle Reign FC forward Megan Rapinoe is the NWSL Player of the Month for July. This is the first time Rapinoe has been named Player of the Month, and the fifth time a member of Reign FC has earned the honor.
During the month of July, Rapinoe scored five goals in four games. This included a hat trick in Reign FC’s 5–4 victory over Sky Blue FC on Saturday, and a brace in a 2–0 win against rival Portland Thorns FC. Seattle posted a 2–1–1 record in the month of July to earn seven points and remain in contention for a 2017 playoff spot.
The forward leads the league in goals scored this season with 12, and is just three goals away from equaling the total number of goals she scored in her first four seasons combined. Rapinoe’s previous high for goals in a season was five, reaching the mark in 2013 and 2015.
Rapinoe also earned Player of the Week honors in the month of July for her week 14 performance. Becoming the first player in NWSL history to score a hat trick with a free kick goal, penalty kick goal, and a goal from open play, Rapinoe is just the second player in league history to score two hat tricks in her NWSL career. Rapinoe’s first hat trick was in a 5–1 win over the Western New York Flash on April 12, 2015.
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.
