Simon tells TWG:
What she wants for her 24th birthday;
How she overcame major injuries to get to the top;
What she does to switch off from football;
Who her favourite actors and singers are;
What her dream in life is
TWG: How would you describe yourself as a person?
KS: Oh, that's a hard one. I hate talking about myself, so I'd probably rather someone else did, but I'd like to think I'm enjoyable to be around. If I wasn't, I'd have some problems. I like a laugh, I like hanging out with my friends and having fun. I'm a different person when I'm on the field to when I'm off. It just depends on what situation I'm in - I can muck around, or I can be serious about things. I've been told I rarely show emotion, but as I get older I'm learning emotion isn't a weakness and that it's good to show compassion and care.
TWG: Your two goals against Nigeria means you've scored doubles in games at successive World Cup finals now. You must be over the moon about that.
KS: It's awesome to score goals and as a striker you always go into a tournament with the aim of doing that, but at the end of the day the main goal is for the team to win and I couldn't care less who puts the ball in the back of the net if we achieve that goal. It's a privilege when you are the player who does that, but as long as the team's winning and we're progressing and I can say that I'm contributing in some way, then I'm happy.
TWG: You broke a leg as a teenager and obviously tore your ACL in the US. Are you tougher in the mind because of all of that?
KS: I think so. I think to bounce back from severe injuries takes a lot more mentally than it does physically. You know you're body can do it, so it's more about getting over that mental hurdle. You trust in the professionals around you and the work they're doing to get you back, but you have to learn to trust in yourself again. It's not a smooth road. There are road-blocks in your way to test your character and that's just the way of life and I think when you get through that it does pull you out the other side mentally tougher. It built on my resilience as a person, going through that as a 15-year with a broken leg. Then, doing my ACL at 21, I kind of knew what to expect. You have to be positive, you have to be able to pick yourself up when you're down. Doing that rehab, when you don't have your teammates around, you have to find the will from within. I've definitely emerged a mentally tougher person from what I've been through with injuries.
TWG: It's your 24th birthday on June 25, when, hopefully, you'll be preparing for the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Are you thinking birthdays at all?
KS: I'm thinking that the birthday present I want from all of the girls is to win the World Cup. The celebrations can wait until after that. The focus is on the World Cup and while a birthday cake might be nice for all of us I haven't really thought about my birthday apart from just knowing it's coming up.
TWG: What do you do to relax and switch off from football?
KS: That's an easy one. My number one relaxation is to go to a cafe that serves really good coffee and if I can just sit there and sip on my coffee that's good down-time for me. Either reading a book or chatting with a friend over a coffee - I love doing that.
TWG: If you could have anyone in the world over to your place for a dinner party, who would they be?
KS: I don't see my sister, Sarah, all that much, so I'd have to have her there with my nephew, Trey. There are a few famous people I'd like to have as well. If I could have someone sing for me, it would have to be AlunaGeorge - they're one of my favourite artists. I love Jason Statham, from The Transporter movies. He's one of my favourite actors. He'd have to be there as well.
TWG: What is your dream in life?
KS: To win a World Cup and an Olympic Games. My football dreams are my biggest dreams. It's the number one thing that drives me in life and intertwined with that is giving back to my family and all of the people who have supported me in getting to where I am today. I hope that by achieving things and making them proud I'm giving something back.
TWG: How did you like living in Boston, when you were playing for the Breakers?
KS: I loved the city of Boston. It was a very 'preppy' kind of town, a lot of uni students around. It made for a younger feel in the city. I wasn't living right in the city, I was actually on the other side of the Charles River at Cambridge, which is a beautiful suburb. I was close to Harvard Square and I had a bicycle during my time there, so I could ride wherever I wanted. The team was just awesome to be around, we all got along well. I've got close friends among the American members of that team. The city, the football and the summer weather were all great.
TWG: Did you go to any New England Patriots NFL games while you were there?
KS: No, the season wasn't on while I was there, unfortunately. I did go to a Celtics NBA game and a Red Sox baseball game, though, and I loved it. The NBA is another world - the quality of the entertainment they have, with the game itself and surrounding the game, is fantastic, and it just keeps you engaged the whole time. I love basketball and to experience such an atmosphere during a game was awesome.
TWG: It can get really cold in winter there, but it sounds like you didn't have to experience that.
KS: I missed the heart of winter. It was a little bit chilly for me for two or three weeks after I arrived there, but that wouldn't have been cold to the locals. They're used to it getting pretty cold. But it warmed up soon enough and we had the sun out almost every day while I was there. Hardly any rainy days, which was nice.
TWG: You scored a heap of goals while you were over there, but then you ruptured your ACL and had to come home. Are you interested in going back to the Breakers?
KS: I've stayed in close contact with the club and there is the possibility that I might go back after the World Cup, but at this stage I'm not completely sold on the idea of playing overseas again. I've spent a lot of time away from home this year and I'd like to get back into a routine by going home and putting my roots down a bit, playing in the W-League, getting my own apartment and going back to work. The thought of going back to work doesn't sit well with me, but that's the choice we have to make.
TWG: You've moved around a bit during your career.
KS: Since I've been on the national team, for the last eight years, I've never been in the one place for a good, solid year other than when I was doing my rehab and I was out of the game, from 2013 to last year. For a long time as a professional footballer I've just been moving around between clubs and countries and rarely seeing my family and friends back home, so I love it when I am home and I get to spend time with them. It's hard, but those are the sacrifices you have to make if you want to better your football.
TWG: Can you picture yourself 10 years from now?
KS: I'd like to think we had won this World Cup and that we had also played a World Cup in Australia by then. It kind of scares me to think I'll be turning 34 in 10 years (laughs). Time goes pretty quickly - I feel like I was only turning 18 last year - so I just want to enjoy life as it comes.
TWG: What was the last movie you saw?
KS: I saw one in Vancouver just before the World Cup began - Tomorrowland, with George Clooney. You've got have a lot of imagination to get into a movie like that and I enjoyed it.
TWG: What was the last concert you went to?
KS: Rhianna, in Sydney. I've seen her a couple of times - she's one of my favourites.
TWG: Finally, how do you think winning the World Cup would change your life?
KS: I find it hard to even speak about it. It's a huge goal in life for me - it would just top off this whole year. Everyone associated with the Matildas has invested so much energy, hard work and time and it would be the icing on the cake for us to achieve something like that. To go from the group of death all the way to the final, the thought of it excites me so much, but we have to take it step by step and get through this game against Brazil first. If we can get to the final I might be able to seriously think about what it would be like to win it, but at the moment my focus is firmly on this next game and doing what we have to do to win that.
