As Gift Monday wheeled away in celebration after planting home the header which gave Washington Spirit the lead against Racing Louisville FC in the NWSL quarterfinal on Saturday, there was a lot going on with the Nigeria forward that not many were aware of.
It was not her usual celebration. There was no shooting arrows at the sky to remind herself that she was still up there when nobody believed in her. Instead, she had one hand cupped around her ear, taking in the vocal cheers from the Rowdy Audi.
Those cheers were a revitalising reward for the striker, who had only returned from Nigeria on Tuesday after taking an excused absence to travel for the funeral of her late father.
"Football is a source of joy for me, irrespective of what I am going through," she said at the post-game press conference.
"I know that even my challenges would not stop me from achieving happiness and football actually gives me that joy. I just have to keep going. We have to keep living."
Part of that living was making sure she did her job on the pitch in what was a tough quarterfinal for the Spirit. Monday said returning from the funeral to score the goal showed her that her late dad, who was her first coach, was with her.
She said: "I dedicate it to all of the Spirit fans, and also to my dad because he was my first coach, he made me who I am today. He trained me on how to keep believing and keep moving on.
"If I didn't come back and this goal didn't happen, I might never forgive myself because I might feel like I am still grieving but with this, I know my dad is with me and he is giving me the strength to keep going and this goal was the proof."
Still, hard as she tried, her grief remained obvious and it broke through within the first two questions of speaking with the media, when the forward's voice cracked as tears escaped her eaves. Team mate, and penalty shootout hero, Aubrey Kingsbury was quick to offer a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Defender Esme Morgan told ESPN it is what the Spirit do, supporting every player and Monday had plenty of it through the difficult time: "Everyone has really looked out for Monday, this week and before.
"We are such a close-knit team, always there for one another and I am really really proud of her because you wouldn't know what she's been going through because she's stayed so professional.
"She's still super bubbly and cheerful and just lights up the room. She is such an amazing person and I am so proud of her that she got that moment."
It was a moment that might not have come but for the striker's determination and sheer strength of will. The long, transcontinental trip appeared to be taking its toll midway through the game, but Monday was not going to be stopped from getting the goal that would honour her late father.
She explained: "I was cramping all over from my groin, to my adductor, to my hamstring, to my calf. But one thing I was sure was that I was going to get a goal. So I had to just keep going. Thanks to God, I was able to get the goal before I was pulled out because it would never have been complete if I didn't get that goal."
Head coach Adrián González was particularly empathetic, Monday told ESPN: "He spoke to me and said, whatever you need, we are here. I am very private and I did not tell my teammates at first, only our player director.
"But the girls noticed because sometimes I am off and they would come to me and ask how they can help. It just made me feel so grateful for everybody."
Support for Monday was not limited to just the Spirit players, and it did not happen in isolation. The organization has made the mental health of a players and staff a priority, and this was one example of how that mental health prioritization has become part of the team DNA.
Gonzalez said of the team's on-staff psychologist: "I think that's more important than the tactics and I value that a lot. Being a soccer player, it's not easy.
"We just see the goals, the highlights, but being there, in front of 20,000 people, with a lot of judgments, with a lot of pressure, knowing that you have a lot of responsibility, you need to know how to manage that.
"Fortunately, we have a person who can help us. I think that's something that as an athlete, professional athlete, you need to integrate in your routine.
"The same way that you train your body, tactics, physicality. So your mind, your emotions, psychologically, you need to be prepared. Not just to play a game."
That mental strength is seen, not just in the way the Spirit team and organization rallied around a grieving teammate, but also in the way they respond to adversity on the pitch.
Monday's goal was a few second shy of being the winner, until a characteristic Louisville long ball from Courtney Petersen sneaked behind the Spirit defence and Kayla Fischer slipped it past Kingsbury to silence Audi Field and take the game to extra time and penalties.
Next up, the Spirit face Portland Thorns in the semifinal next weekend, and after having the dubious distinction of taking all five of their previous playoff games at Audi Field to extra time, the Spirit are hoping they can save their fans some cardiac issues for once.
"I wish we can make it easy on ourselves, too," said midfielder Hal Hershfelt. "It would be great to put it away in regular time. We'll try to work on that."
And perhaps Monday will hand them another Gift.