Daphne van Domselaar of Arsenal Women has been crowned the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) Save of the Month for October 2025, following a stunning stop in Arsenal’s fixture versus Brighton & Hove Albion Women.
Her save came during the match when Brighton winger Carla Camacho fired a powerful attempt that Van Domselaar tipped around the post with a full-stretch dive to her right.
Meanwhile, Nigeria international goal-keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, representing Brighton, was also nominated after a superb stop against Tottenham Hotspur Women, but ultimately missed out. Van Domselaar’s saving act has drawn praise not only for its technical excellence but for its timing in a match where momentum could have shifted.
Editorial
In the rarefied world of elite goalkeeping, a single moment can recalibrate perception, define confidence and reshape futures. For Daphne Van Domselaar, that moment arrived in October a pinpoint dive, the faintest of margin, the difference between a goal conceded and a chance preserved. On the slippery slopes of the Barclays Women’s Super League, that is no small matter.
Her accolade for Save of the Month is more than recognition; it is affirmation. At Arsenal, she is expected not merely to guard the net, but to project the club’s ambition, its defensive solidity and its hunger for honours. The fact that she edged out Chiamaka Nnadozie adds dimension to the narrative. Nnadozie, with her own rising star story, stands as one of the game’s emerging keepers and yet here Van Domselaar was deemed just a fraction stronger for October.
This is football’s subtle poetry two goal-keepers, both excellent, both hungry, but only one claim to the month’s best save. In Van Domselaar’s particular instance, the save was more than reflex it was instinct calibrated with preparation. When the cross came, the run was already anticipated. When the strike came, the dive was measured. That is the difference between the good and the great.
For Arsenal’s wider narrative, this win matters. It signals that their recruitment, their belief in her quality and their defensive architecture are converging. The goalkeeper is no longer a solitary figure behind the last line but a keystone of the team’s identity. In that sense, Van Domselaar’s moment is collective as well as individual.
And for Nnadozie, the near-miss should not be seen as failure but as impetus. To be nominated is to be seen. Her stop against Tottenham, as the records show, was sublime. Yet in football, as in life, the margins are slim. One shot, one fingertip, one dive and we talk of awards.
So we salute both players. Van Domselaar for execution, Nnadozie for elevation. And we reflect on what this says about women’s football in England and beyond that excellence is universal that the spotlight widens that Nigerians and Dutch alike vie for monthly honours with global resonance.
The month is over; the season continues. The trophies still lie ahead. But if goalkeeper accolades are any guide, then both women though moving in different trajectories are already shaping their place in the story.
Did You Know?
- Chiamaka Nnadozie was the first Nigerian goalkeeper ever nominated for the Women’s Yachine Trophy, the award given to the world’s best female goalkeeper.
- Daphne Van Domselaar previously played for Dutch club FC Twente Women before moving to England, giving her experience of both the Eredivisie and WSL leagues.
- Van Domselaar’s save came against Brighton & Hove Albion, who were the very club representing Nnadozie in her nomination phase. This set up the direct comparison between the two keepers.
- The WSL Save of the Month award is decided by a combination of fan voting and expert panel analysis, giving recognition not only for spectacle but for context and technical merit.
- Arsenal’s win of the Save of the Month for October contributes to their incremental rise in goalkeeping standards historically they have placed emphasis on defensive recruitment and keeper development, and this award reinforces that legacy.
