By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria international Gift Monday delivered a standout performance for Washington Spirit, putting aside the disappointment of her exclusion from the Super Falcons’ WAFCON squad to inspire a 2-1 victory over Portland Thorns in their NWSL return.
Back at Audi Field for the resumption of the regular season following a six-week break, Spirit showed determination and grit, with Monday and Trinity Rodman finding the net in each half to secure all three points.
Monday opened the scoring early in the first half, latching onto a precise low cross from Andi Rose and calmly slotting the ball past the Thorns’ goalkeeper to send the home fans into celebration.
Though the Thorns fought back to level the game, Trinity Rodman’s late strike in the closing minutes sealed the win for Spirit, maintaining their strong all-time regular season record against Portland.
Monday was named Player of the Match for her commanding display, energy, and composure in front of goal—demonstrating resilience and professionalism in the face of national team disappointment.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
