Alamein FC midfielder Neve Duston has been named the New Balance NPLW Victoria Player of the Month for May after receiving the most votes from the commentary team across Rounds 11-15.
Hailing from Palm City, Florida, Duston arrived in Victoria ahead of the 2025 season following a standout collegiate career at Lenoir-Rhyne University. During her time in the United States, she started all 94 matches of her college career and earned multiple All-Region and All-Conference honours.
The American midfielder has played a key role in Alamein’s push for finals football, with the club sitting sixth on the ladder after 15 rounds.
Duston said she was honoured to receive the recognition, although individual accolades are not her primary focus.
"I'm really flattered to be honest," she said.
"For me as a player, it's definitely not the accolades or what I look for in my performances. My focuses are always to help the team and do the best I can for the overall goal, which is of course making finals and having success with the team.
"I do feel like I've been working really hard and just putting in the work and working for everyone around me”
Alamein Technical Director Liam Kafka-Sweeney said the award was a fitting reward for Duston’s efforts this season.
"She is not only a fantastic player, but she’s a great role model for our younger players," he said.
"She has a buddy in our U13s, and also coaches our U14 Academy team. She truly is an all round superstar."
Alamein currently sits firmly in the race for a finals berth and Duston believes the club's recent form has come from maintaining a focus on themselves.
"The transfer windows come up, a lot of teams have got four or five new players and starting line-ups change a little bit.For us it's always thinking every week, what can we do and what can we control. How hard can we work for each other? How can we play our model every day? How can we get around each other in tough moment," she said.
"As we've played with more confidence and got a couple of good results, our performances have shown confidence and what we can do on the ball. I credit that to us all getting around each other, staying consistent and supporting each other."
Duston’s most memorable May performance came in Round 11 when Alamein defeated Spring Hills 1-0 at home.
"I'd probably go for Spring Hills in terms of an attacking perspective," she said.
"I hit the post twice, obviously finished in the box and just played with a lot of freedom.
"As a whole team, we played with a lot of freedom and I think that's why I would put that as probably my best game because it's all great performing and doing well, but when you can actually help the team and the teammates reflect how you're playing as well, I think that's super special."
Duston's strong form followed a unique off-season where she spent three months in the Northern Territory while renewing her visa, immersing herself in football and coaching opportunities.
"It was a really cool way to reconnect with what I want out of soccer and also to just enjoy it," she said.
"I had this goal in mind, and I had support around family and I had literally nothing but work and soccer and it was great.
"I had such a good routine, and the best part was being able to connect with the community that's out there.
"I went and played men's soccer, met some really cool people, met Nepalese national team players who had retired, met private coaches.”
Duston also completed her grassroots coaching licence during the off-season and now serves as Alamein's Under 14 Head Coach.
Reflecting on that experience, she said it helped her reconnect with her love for the game.
"It totally made me reconnect with the game in a loving sense but also gave me a lot of structure and routine to be able to get to my end goal, which is to perform this year."
With the finals race heating up, Duston believes their best is yet to come.
"I have volumes of faith in my teammates and the club around me," she said.
"We're community driven and it shows how we play and it shows how we work. For me it's so much less about other teams. What matters is this club and going far.
"If we perform and have that self-confidence within ourselves, I think the sky's the limit. I think we can beat any team on the park on the day. I'm excited to see how this season will end because I think that we're going to surprise people, but I won't be surprised when we surprise people."