Super Falcons forward Gift Monday continues to shine in the American NWSL, adding another crucial goal contribution to her name.
The former Spanish Liga F player inspired her team, Washington Spirit, to a narrow away victory on Saturday morning, Footballrover reports.
Gift Monday bagged her first NWSL assist, directly contributing to the Spirit’s thrilling 2-1 win over Seattle Reign FC at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Monday’s first NWSL assist: A game-changer
The 23-year-old Nigerian international had an eventful match. Despite having an early goal disallowed by VAR, Gift Monday remained influential.
While she registered only one shot on goal during her 81 minutes on the pitch, it was her first assist in the American female league that ultimately secured the vital three points for the Washington Spirit.
Monday, who was surprisingly overlooked for the recent Super Falcons’ squad that will be facing Cameroon in double-header friendlies, has now taken her goal contribution tally to four in seven appearances—three goals and one assist.
The action kicked off in the 6th minute with Gift Monday finding the back of the net, only for the celebration to be cut short and the goal chalked off for offside – a sign of things to come!
Undeterred, the Spirit drew first blood. Just five minutes later, Croix Bethune, assisted by Casey Krueger, put them up 1-0.
However, the Reign hit back swiftly! Shae Holmes levelled the score at 1-1 in the 17th minute, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle.
How Gift Monday’s brilliance sealed the win
The Spirit managed to regain their advantage before the halftime whistle.
In the 35th minute, Ashley Hatch converted, with the ever-present Monday providing the crucial first assist of her NWSL career, making the score 2-1.
The Nigerian forward, after an impactful performance, was substituted in the 81st minute for Makenna Morris, as the Spirit held on to their advantage to secure a hard-fought victory on the road.
This win sees Washington Spirit maintain their third position on the league table with 19 points after ten games, extending their lead over sixth-placed Seattle Reign to five points.
“That’s 5 wins on the road. We will see you back at Rowdy Audi on 6/8 vs NC Courage,” Proud Spirit side wrote on their social media page.
Riding this momentum, they will now prepare for their next challenge against NC Courage.
Be the first to comment on "Gift Monday: Overlooked Super Falcons star snags first NWSL assist in Spirit’s nail-biter win"