LFC WomenKatie Stengel wins March's Standard Chartered Player of the Month

The American striker scored crucial goals against London City Lionesses and Durham as the Reds closed in on the FA Women’s Championship title won so decisively at Bristol City last weekend.

The 30-year-old has made a huge impact since her arrival at the club in January, but insisted the Player of the Month award was for the whole squad.

Stengel told Liverpoolfc.com: “I was shocked! I think this could have gone to a lot of girls in the team, a lot of us played well. The whole team itself has been really strong.

“We’ve enjoyed a lot of good games this whole month but it’s a testament to how good our team was and how well we played.

“Looking ahead to the month, we knew we had to come away with a lot of results if we actually wanted to get promoted. That was our goal from the very beginning and we had been taking it game by game.

“We were under a lot of pressure and it’s incredible how we came away with a lot of results.”

Stengel’s arrival at the start of the year provided an extra dimension to the Reds’ attack as they pushed for a return to the Women’s Super League.

She credits her teammates for helping her settle in so quickly, with long-throw specialist Megan Campbell in particular providing plenty of opportunities on the pitch.

Stengel said: “I think the girls have made it super easy, on and off the field. It’s been a smooth adjustment. It’s been fun to play with this group. I’ve had great service – especially from Meg – but it’s been easy to combine and play with a lot of the girls here.

“From the beginning we all knew we belonged in that league [the WSL] and we wanted to get back there.

“We’re so happy to be promoted and get that opportunity next season. It’s going to be an even tougher competition but I think we’re up for it.”

As well as support at games, the Florida-born player has become a huge favourite of supporters on social media, where she often shares her amusement at aspects of life in the UK.

“I’m not made for Instagram, but Twitter where you can put the one-liners in!” Stengel laughed. “I’m just glad people understand most of my humour, I feel like it can get lost because I sound too sarcastic.

“It’s awesome, the fans here have been incredible. They’ve been fun to banter with and they’ve been supporting us on the field as well. Again, they’ve made it an easy transition.”

The striker and her teammates now have a huge date on Sunday April 24 when they will play their final home game of the season and pick up the FA Women’s Championship trophy against Sheffield United Women.

And Stengel will have a very special person watching from the stands as the Reds wrap up the 2021-22 campaign.

She revealed: “Most exciting, my dad will finally be able to get over and watch a game live for the first time in several years, so I’m excited to have him in the stands. It’ll be a big thing for us as well.”