Gift Monday: Super Falcons Star Creates Record in the National Women’s Soccer League, Video
- Nigeria international Gift Monday has set a new record in the National Women's Soccer League over the weekend
- Washington Spirit beat Houston Dash 4-0 in their second match of the season, to remain unbeaten
- The 23-year-old was excluded from the 24-woman list for the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco
Washington Spirit beat Houston Dash 4-0 in the National Women's Soccer League to secure a playoff spot on Sunday afternoon, September 28.
Super Falcons star Gift Monday opened her scoring account in the 16th minute, beating the goalkeeper, following an assist from Trinity Rodman.
Three minutes later, Monday connected to a cross by Croix Bethune to score her second goal. The initial header was denied by the goalkeeper before the forward played a rebound.
Source: Getty Images
In the 36th minute, Monday completed her hat-trick as she calmly sliced a low pass from Trinity Rodman again. Sofia Cantore scored the fourth goal with her heel flick in front of the 12,715 home fans.
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Gift Monday creates new record
Super Falcons forward Gift Monday has set a new NWSL record for fastest hat trick from kickoff. The hat-trick also marks the first-ever at Audi Field.
According to ESPN, Monday's hat-trick is Spirit's second in history, and it was scored against Houston by Crystal Dunn in 2015.
The 23-year-old said the hat-trick is a result of hard work and team spirit from her teammates.
Monday applauded her coach for the opportunity to return to the starting list of the team, despite having loads of fantastic players. She said:
"It's been a while since I scored a hat trick. Today it came so fast and I think it is just based on hard work and team spirit.
"Also I would want to say a very big thank you to my coach for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to start this game because I think that hat trick has been waiting for me for a very long time."
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"Coming back to the starting list is an opportunity because we have a lot of great players in the team, so I am just always grateful when I get to start and do my best to make good use of the opportunity."
Source: Getty Images
Madugu drops Monday from WAFCON squad
Super Falcons interim coach Justine Madugu excluded Gift Monday from Nigeria's squad to the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
According to Punch, the Adamawa-born coach said the decision was taken due to the limited position for the tournament.
Madugu noted that the list cut across both the experienced and the youth in the women's senior national team. He said:
"It is not easy when you have to pick from a large pool of players to represent the country. Before the technical crew arrived at her exclusion, we did a proper analysis of all the players in the position."
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Nigeria beat Morocco in 2025 WAFCON final
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigeria beat host Morocco 3-2 to win the 13th Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), their tenth title at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Saturday night, July 26.
The Super Falcons were down by two goals in the first half before turning the game around in the second half and securing the title.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
