Monday Gift Honors Late Father After Emotional Playoff Goal for Spirit

Super Falcons and Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday has revealed how deeply she’s been affected by her father’s death yet channelled her grief into a decisive playoff goal.

Just days after returning to the United States from Nigeria, where she laid her father to rest, the 23-year-old produced a vital header in the 73rd minute against Racing Louisville in the NWSL quarter-final, leveling the score and helping her team reach the semi-finals via penalties.

Monday opened up about the emotional burden: “Coping without dad is mentally tasking,” she said.  She admitted she initially kept her grief private, sharing it only with her player director — but her teammates soon noticed she wasn’t herself. They reached out, offering support in small gestures that meant everything to her.

“She spoke to me and said, ‘Whatever you need, we are here,’” Monday explained, reflecting on the care she received from her coaches and fellow players.

For Monday, that goal was more than sport — it was a tribute. “If I didn’t come back and this goal didn’t happen, I might never forgive myself,” she said. “I know my dad is with me, giving me strength to keep going.”

Washington Spirit’s head coach, Adrián González, praised her resilience, noting that emotional well-being is as important as physical or tactical preparation.  Esme Morgan, her teammate, added that the squad rallied around her, describing Monday as “a beacon of positivity despite her struggles.”

Now preparing for a semi-final against Portland Thorns, Monday’s journey on the field is entwined with healing every pass, run, and goal a testament to her father’s enduring influence.

Editorial

In elite sport, the margins between victory and defeat are often measured in centimetres and milliseconds. But on Saturday, Gift Monday’s moment of triumph came from a far deeper place from the chasm of loss, grief, and the enduring bond with a man who shaped her not just as an athlete, but as a person.

Monday’s header powerful, poised, and painfully symbolic was not just a goal. It was a bridge. A bridge between her present and her past. Her return from Nigeria after burying her father could have been weighed down by sorrow, but instead, she carried something else purpose.

There is bravery in that. It takes a rare kind of fortitude to step back into high-stakes competition in the shadow of private grief. And even more courage to let your vulnerability show to admit that “coping without dad is mentally tasking.” That is not a line from a match report it is a confession of humanity.

The Spirit’s response speaks volumes. Their support went beyond tactical adjustments or physical training they rallied around her emotionally, offering understanding, space, and care. That kind of solidarity is not incidental, but foundational. It reminds us that football is not just a contest of strength or skill, but a communion of shared struggle and shared hope.

Adrián González’s emphasis on mental well-being is not a modern platitude it is wisdom. The psychologist on staff, the empathy from teammates these are not peripheral luxuries. They are central to building resilient performers, and more importantly, resilient people.

Monday’s story is a powerful reminder that the beautiful game is, at its heart, a human one. In a world that often demands stoicism, she showed that grief and determination can inhabit the same space. And her goal? It was more than a turning point in a match. It was a milestone in a healing journey.

If she carries this spirit forward not just as a footballer, but as a daughter remembering her father then this moment might well define more than her season. It may shape her legacy.

Did You Know?

1. First Coach Gift Monday has said in interviews that her father was her very first coach, teaching her ball control, discipline, and self-belief from a young age.
2. Spirit’s Playoff History The Spirit have frequently taken their playoff games to extra time in recent seasons making every decisive goal, like Monday’s, feel even more significant.
3. Her Celebration After scoring her goal, Monday cupped her hand to her ear a gesture she later described as listening for her father’s cheers from above.
4. Cross-Continental Journey Monday flew from Nigeria to the U.S. just days before that crucial playoff match — a journey made more taxing by the emotional weight of her father’s funeral.
5. Mental Health Focus The Washington Spirit have a licensed psychologist on staff part of their commitment to supporting players’ emotional and mental well-being, not just their physical training.