CHICAGO  – Chicago Red Stars midfielder Sofia Huerta was voted the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Month by the NWSL Media Association for the month of April of the 2018 NWSL season.

Huerta, 25, had two goals in four appearances during the month to lead Chicago to a 2-0-2 record in April. The Red Stars went from being in seventh place and five points out of the top spot in the standings at the end of March all the way to second place in the league standings.

The Boise, Idaho native began the month by scoring two of the six goals recorded by Chicago and tallied both goals in Week 4 scoring against the Houston Dash in a 3-0 win on April 18 and adding another goal against Sky Blue FC for a 1-1 draw on April 21 with both matches at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.

The Santa Clara product scored her first goal of the season on April 18 heading home a long-driven ball by Danielle Colaprico into the box to beat Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell. She scored the fifth fastest goal in NWSL history just 44 seconds striking a drifting shot that sailed over the head of Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.

The U.S. international featured in all four matches in April for the Red Stars, making four starts and playing 360 minutes while registering 13 shots – six of which were on target – according to Opta. Her 16 shots so far this season is fourth in the league as are her six shots on goal.

It is the second time Huerta has been honored as the NWSL Player of the Month after being recognized in May 2015. Huerta joins goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (May 2016) and former forward Christen Press (April 2015) as the only Chicago Red Stars players have won the award.

The Chicago Red Stars will return to action in the midweek against Orlando Pride on Wednesday, May 2 at Toyota Park at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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.