Once again, Sam Kerr has captured the NWSL Golden Boot, finishing as the league’s leading goal scorer for the second straight season. The Chicago Red Stars forward finished the regular season with 16 goals and four assists in 19 games to claim the award. She’s the first player in NWSL history to finish as the […]

Once again, Sam Kerr has captured the NWSL Golden Boot, finishing as the league’s leading goal scorer for the second straight season. The Chicago Red Stars forward finished the regular season with 16 goals and four assists in 19 games to claim the award. She’s the first player in NWSL history to finish as the leading scorer in two different seasons.Kerr scored her 16th goal of the season on Saturday afternoon vs. Utah Royals FC. [Youtube oembed has failed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsukDNBP1TU] North Carolina Courage forward Lynn Williams scored twice on Saturday night to finish second in the Golden Boot race with 14 goals. Kerr won the Golden Boot in 2017 after scoring a record 17 goals for Sky Blue FC. While she didn’t best her own record this year, she has 33 goals over the last two seasons. Kerr didn’t even make her 2018 NWSL debut until April 28, missing the first five games of the Red Stars season because of international duty for Australia. She then scored her first goal of the season on May 6, her third appearance of the year in a 1-1 draw in North Carolina. She finished the season on a four-game scoring streak, scoring six goals in those four games.

Key Stats:

• Seven of Kerr’s goals this season have been assisted by Yuki Nagasato (and two of Kerr’s assists were on Nagasato goals)

• Six came at home, 10 came on the road

• Kerr played 1,704 minutes in 2018, scoring at a rate of 106.5 minutes per goal

• Three of her goals were game-winners and one a game-tying goal

• 11 goals with her right foot, five with her head

• 15 goals from inside the box, one from outside the box

• Scored against every other team in the league

• First player to score a hat trick in the 2018 season, on the road vs. Sky Blue FC

• Three braces — two vs. the Orlando Pride and one vs. Portland Thorns FC

• She took 88 total shots (excluding blocked shots) and 47 shots on target, according to Opta

Every Sam Kerr Goal Scored in the 2018 Season

Goal 1: May 6 at North Carolina Courage, 1-1 draw | 37′ | Unassisted Goal 2: May 12 vs. Houston Dash, 2-2 draw | 20’ | Assist: Arin Gilliland Goal 3: May 26 vs. Orlando Pride, 5-2 loss | 21’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 4: May 26 vs. Orlando Pride, 5-2 loss | 60’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 5: June 2 at Washington Spirit, 2-0 win | 25′ | Unassisted Goal 6: July 7 at Sky Blue FC, 3-1 win | 40’ | Assist: Alyssa Mautz Goal 7: July 7 at Sky Blue FC, 3-1 win | 46’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 8: July 7 at Sky Blue FC, 3-1 win | 63’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 9: July 14 vs. Seattle Reign FC, 1-0 win | 87’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 10: August 10 vs. North Carolina Courage, 1-1 draw | 64’ | Assist: Vanessa DiBernardo Goal 11: August 18 at Portland Thorns FC, 2-2 draw | 44’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 12: August 18 at Portland Thorns FC, 2-2 draw | 49’ | Assist: Vanessa DiBernardo Goal 13: August 25 at Orlando Pride, 3-1 win | 44’ | Assist: Yuki Nagasato Goal 14: August 25 at Orlando Pride, 3-1 win | 59’ | Unassisted Goal 15: September 4 vs. Sky Blue FC, 5-0 win | 64’ | Assist: Brooke Elby Goal 16: September 8 at Utah Royals FC, 2-1 loss | 39’ | Assist: Arin Gilliland