Nigeria’s Gift Monday has etched her name in NWSL history, scooping the Player of the Week award for Round 22 after her breathtaking hat trick fired Washington Spirit into the play-offs.
The forward dominated the league’s fan vote on X, earning 50.3% of the 881 ballots cast. She finished ahead of Gotham FC star Rose Lavelle, who claimed 35%, Utah Royals shot-stopper Mia Justus with 8.1%, and Kansas City Current striker Bia Zaneratto on 6.7%.
Monday’s brilliance came in Washington’s 4-0 demolition of Houston Dash, a game that produced one of the standout moments of the season. She struck three times in just over half an hour—the fastest hat trick ever recorded from kick-off in NWSL history, and the first at Audi Field.
It was a dream return to the starting XI for the 23-year-old, who hadn’t started a match since mid-August. She broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, finishing calmly from a Trinity Rodman assist. Barely three minutes later, she was on hand to convert after her own header was parried. Her third came in style, a sharp one-touch finish again set up by Rodman.
Sofia Cantore added a late backheel to round off the win, while goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury marshaled her defense to an eighth clean sheet of the campaign—securing Spirit’s playoff ticket for the second season running.
After her record-making show, Monday reflected: “Playing for the Super Falcons is a very big honour for me. I am always more than happy to represent the green white green. I am so, so glad to give Nigeria this precious gift. I don’t know how I ended up like this today but I am grateful and I think that today is just special for me.”
She continued, “It’s been a minute since I have scored a hat trick. Today it came so fast and I think it is just based on hard work and team spirit. I 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.”
Elsewhere across the league, Mia Justus stood out with key saves in Utah Royals’ 2-0 victory over Bay FC, extending their unbeaten streak to seven games. Zaneratto was on the scoresheet in Kansas City’s 4-1 win against Chicago, while Rose Lavelle shone with both a goal and assist in Gotham’s 3-0 triumph over Portland Thorns.
