Nigeria Players Abroad
Gift Monday’s goal halts Orlando Pride’s 22-match home unbeaten streak
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigerian international Gift Monday netted the decisive goal as Washington Spirit triumphed over the top-seeded Orlando Pride, securing a 1-0 victory in the club’s first regular season win at Orlando since October 2019.
In her inaugural start in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), forward Gift Monday scored the match’s only goal, while goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury anchored the defense, achieving a third consecutive clean sheet.
With a record of 4-1-0, the Spirit remains positioned near the top of the NWSL standings with 12 points.
Orlando dominated much of the match, holding 62% possession, registering six shots, and making 14 entries into the Spirit’s penalty area within the first 28 minutes. Despite the Spirit’s struggles, their defense successfully thwarted Orlando’s skilled offense, leading to a scoreless halftime.
Leicy Santos, who was previously listed as questionable, replaced Courtney Brown at the start of the second half.
Once again, the Pride asserted their dominance early in the second half, with star forward Barbra Banda taking a shot on goal just one minute in.
Despite the pressure from Orlando’s offense, Kingsbury made six saves in her 150th regular season appearance, supported by defender Tara McKeown, who effectively contained Banda for the majority of the match.
In the 60th minute, Rosemonde Kouassi made her season debut, substituting for Ashley Hatch due to a concussion.
Shortly thereafter, newly-acquired forward Gift Monday applied significant pressure on Orlando’s goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse during an attempted clearance.
Monday intercepted the ball and successfully found the back of the net, giving the Spirit a 1-0 advantage.
Although the Pride faced their first home deficit since March 22, 2024, they continued their aggressive assault on the Spirit’s defense, earning a corner kick in the 83rd minute. Orlando seemed to have equalized following the corner, but after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, the goal was disallowed due to a foul committed by Kylie Nadaner, who impeded Kingsbury.
Despite outshooting the Spirit, Orlando was unable to convert their opportunities.
The travelers secured a win which ended Orlando Pride’s 22-match unbeaten record at home.
