The NWSL in September was full of fast and furious competition, leading the Shield and playoff race to tighten with every passing week. After August favored defensive players, attackers had a very strong September, and their teams crowded the top of the NWSL table.

Here are our picks for the most outstanding players of the regular season in September, with one player leading the way.

Player of the Month

Kerolin, F, North Carolina Courage

Kerolin had another exceptional month in the NWSL regular season, scoring two goals and notching two assists in September to keep North Carolina firmly in the league’s competitive playoff race. One of those goals came on Oct. 1, but with that slate of games technically closing out the final match week of September, we’re giving it the nod here.

The Brazilian forward’s most comprehensive performance of the month came on Sept. 2, when she scored one goal and registered two assists in a wild 3-3 draw against Shield contender Gotham FC. Kerolin ranks in the top four of both American Soccer Analysis’ goals added category and xG metrics for the month, keeping the Courage alive as they have otherwise struggled to turn chance creation into goals. She now sits on 10 goals, just one behind league leader Sophia Smith, who returned to training with the Thorns last week after suffering a mild MCL sprain in August.

Kerolin also had a goal in the Courage’s Challenge Cup final victory. While that does not technically count toward the regular season awards, it just serves as more evidence of how in-form the 23-year-old has been since she returned from the World Cup.

Honorable mentions

Jaedyn Shaw, M/F, San Diego Wave

Jaedyn Shaw continued to step into a larger role in the San Diego attack in September, scoring one goal and recording one assist as the Wave became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. Shaw has the ability to thread the ball into the box from an attacking midfield position, and she is also very comfortable running to the endline to send low crosses in for her teammates to capitalize on in front of net.

Jaedyn Shaw puts it on a platter for Kyra Carusa. 🌊

Stream the game for FREE on CBS Sports Golazo Network available on the @CBSSports App and @PlutoTV. 📲 pic.twitter.com/QYZBAHdAiO

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) October 1, 2023

Alex Morgan, F, San Diego Wave

Alex Morgan ended her goal drought of almost four months in the Wave’s final match of September, sealing a huge win over Portland that lifted them to the top of the NWSL table and a playoff spot. The goal is a great sign that Morgan can overcome whatever mental block was ailing her in recent months. Her resurgence would be a boon for the Wave in the postseason after Morgan was excellent in all other attacking facets this month, including ASA’s goals added and xG metrics.

🚨ALEX MORGAN GOAL🚨@alexmorgan13 doubles San Diego's lead!! pic.twitter.com/GGAUaNnISa

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 1, 2023

Bianca St-Georges, D/M, Chicago Red Stars

Despite a tough climb into playoff contention, the Red Stars went undefeated in September, not least because of the confident play of Bianca St-Georges. St-Georges has become one of Chicago’s best attacking outlets on the right wing, as the team continues to compensate for the loss of injured star forward Mallory Swanson. The 26-year-old can cover a lot of ground in defensive transition and send the ball into the goal from tight wide spaces, and her two goals in September have kept Chicago alive.

The @chicagoredstars are in front! 💥@biancastgeorges with a powerful finish at the near post... and after VAR review, the goal stands! pic.twitter.com/qgSwLsQB0D

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 1, 2023

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

In today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins takes a deep dive into the end-of-season NWSL awards, comparing her ballot with the announced finalists to predict this year's winners. Watkins then gives her final picks from the pool of nominees, choosing the best of the best in a year flush with impressive performances.

Later, Watkins previews the blockbuster NWSL semifinal matchups between the league's top four teams, predicting the results and forecasting who will ultimately win a ticket to Kansas City to compete in the 2024 NWSL Championship.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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The NWSL announced more details around November 22nd's second annual Skills Challenge on Thursday, including competition rules and eight participating athletes.

Beginning at 6 PM ET the evening before November 23rd's 2024 NWSL Championship match, two teams of league stars will compete in a trio of skills contests. The winning squad will split a $30,000 check from sponsor CarMax — up from $25,000 last year.

Retired NWSL and USWNT icon Sam Mewis will host the event.

Three events await Skills Challenge contenders

The 2024 edition of the Skills Challenge returns two events — Player Shootouts and the Crossbar Challenge — while replacing last year's 2-on-2 TeqBall competition with a new contest called the Gauntlet.

Meant to highlight athletes' agility and dribbling skills, the Gauntlet places a player within a starting circle surrounded by five mini-goals of various sizes. The smaller the goal, the more points it is worth.

The athlete will have 60 seconds to score as many points as possible, but must exit the circle to take a shot. At the same time, the other team's defenders will attempt to thwart scoring attempts, but they cannot enter the circle.

Reminiscent of penalty kicks (PKs), the Shootout's nine rounds will feature one player against the opposing team's goalkeeper. Unlike PKs in a match, goalkeepers have freedom of movement and are not limited to staying on the goal line. Similarly, the attacker can dribble away from the starting spot to shoot from anywhere on the pitch, as long as they do so within eight seconds.

Finally, in the Crossbar Challenge, the two Skills Challenge teams will take turns trying to hit the crossbar from the 18-yard line, with each hit adding one point to the team total.

After reaching five points, a team will double the distance from goal to 36 yards. The first team to hit the crossbar from there, while still alternating shots, wins the event.

Stars gear up to showcase their skills

Though full 2024 Skills Challenge rosters will be revealed in the coming days, the NWSL dropped eight contenders in Thursday's announcement.

The lone veteran from the 2023 competition is Houston forward Michelle Alozie, who will join Skills Challenge rookies Angelina (Orlando), Kate Del Fava (Utah), Savannah DeMelo (Louisville), Jaelin Howell (Seattle), Savy King (Bay), Kailen Sheridan (San Diego), and Morgan Weaver (Portland).

Should Orlando advance from this weekend's NWSL semifinals to November 23rd's NWSL Championship, Angelina will withdraw from the skills competition.

How to watch the 2024 NWSL Skills Challenge

The Friday event at the University of Kansas Health System Training Center is free and open to the public.

Those unable to attend in person can watch a full replay of the event on the afternoon of Sunday, November 24th, when the Skills Challenge will air nationwide on CBS.

Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!

In today's episode, our hosts kick things off by chatting through last weekend's NWSL quarterfinals, with the top four teams proving their dominance in four heated battles. O'Hara then shouts out the two center backs who notched their first goals of the year this postseason: Washington's Tara McKeown and Gotham's Tierna Davidson.

Later turning to the NWSL semifinals, Leslie zeroes in on this weekend's bout between No. 1 Orlando and No. 4 Kansas City — a game that pits leading goalscorers Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda against one another. "Is the matchup that we've been waiting for?" she asks.

O'Hara agrees with her co-host. While she dubs the semifinal between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Gotham more of a "chess match," O'Hara predicts the Current and Pride's clash to be "end line to end line soccer."

"Orlando was able to stay top of the table [while] Kansas City is fourth, so in reality you would think Orlando should walk into this game feeling very confident and know what you need to do to be successful," says O'Hara. "But it's playoffs, so anything can happen."

"I'm just gonna be sat on the couch, locked in," she adds. "Get the popcorn out, get ready."

Fast Friends discusses NWSL awards

Before moving on from the pitch, Leslie and O'Hara discuss the NWSL's end-of-season awards frontrunners. The hosts gamble that Chawinga will take MVP honors while Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune will walk away as the 2024 Rookie of the Year — despite only playing 17 matches before a post-Olympics knee injury limited her to the sidelines.

Then, the legendary athletes turn to the tennis courts to celebrate Coco Gauff's recent WTA Finals win before chatting through the top teams and players headlining NCAA basketball's early season action.

And last but not least, O'Hara and Leslie reveal a few of the special guests joining them onstage at their upcoming NWSL Championship Weekend Live Show.

About Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie

Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

The NWSL announced the finalists for the 2024 end-of-year awards on Tuesday, with lists showcasing heavy-hitters around the league.

The 2024 MVP award is an all-attacker affair, as the league's top scorers all earned nominations. The Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda and Marta both snagged nods, with Kansas City's Golden Boot-winner Temwa Chawinga, Washington's Trinity Rodman, and Portland's Sophia Smith rounding out the shortlist.

The Rookie of the Year category is similarly stacked, as injured Washington rookie Croix Bethune and her record-tying 10 assists goes up against Utah standout Ally Sentnor and KC Current star Claire Hutton for top honors.

Position players snag share of NWSL awards spotlight

The NWSL's top position players are also vying for solo hardware this season.

In the league's first-ever Midfielder of the Year category, Kansas City's Vanessa DiBernardo and celly queen Lo LaBonta earned nominations, as did Orlando's Marta and North Carolina's Ashley Sanchez. Washington rookie Croix Bethune's short but impressive season also scored her a nod.

Battling in the backline for Defender of the Year are North Carolina's Kaleigh Kurtz and Washington's forward-turned-center back Tara McKeown. Both Iron Women are in the running alongside San Diego’s Naomi Girma and Orlando’s Emily Sams and Kylie Strom.

As the new NWSL single-season shutout leader, Orlando's Anna Moorhouse headlines the Goalkeeper of the Year race, with Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger and Utah's Mandy Haught in hot pursuit.

Top sideline leaders earn NWSL Coach of the Year nominations

After flipping Orlando from a non-playoff team into 2024’s Shield-winners with a record-setting 23-match undefeated streak, Pride boss Seb Hines is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year (COTY).

However, Hines faces tough competition from Gotham's Juan Carlos Amorós and Kansas City's Vlatko Andonovski.

Andonovski took the Current from a second-to-last 2023 finish to fourth-place on this season's table, while 2023 COTY winner Amorós is one of just two coaches to defeat Orlando this year.

How to vote for the 2024 NWSL individual awards

Fan ballots account for 10% of the final tally, so weigh in by voting online for this season's individual awards, as well as the Best XI First Team and Best XI Second Team. Ballots are due by 3 PM ET on Friday.