When Washington Spirit Coach Mark Parsons was scouting forward Francisca Ordega before this National Women’s Soccer League season, all the available highlight clips were of the Nigerian forward playing for her national team.
Except one, which featured Ordega scoring for Swedish club Pitea in a 2013 league match.
Aside from speed and finishing touch, something else stood out: Beaten on the play were defender Ali Krieger and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, Spirit members who, at the time, were with Swedish titan Tyreso during the NWSL offseason.
“She beat possibly our two best players,” Parsons recalled. “I spoke with Ali and Ashlyn and said, ‘This girl we are talking about signing scored this goal against you a few years ago. Do you remember it?’ They remembered.”
This spring, Ordega, 21, joined Krieger and Harris on the Spirit. On Tuesday, though, she will become their foe again, this time on the international stage. They’ll cross paths at Vancouver’s BC Place during a Women’s World Cup match between the United States and Nigeria, a confrontation that will help determine which teams from Group D advance to the knockout stage of the 24-team tournament.
Ordega, who scored a late equalizer in the opener against Sweden last Monday, is almost certain to start her third consecutive game. Krieger will probably remain in the U.S. lineup at right back, while Harris will back up Hope Solo.
While the Americans (four points) are atop the group and almost assured of a round-of-16 slot, the Super Falcons (one point) must win in order to advance to the elimination stage for the first time since 1999.
Drawn into the tournament’s most difficult quartet, Nigeria faced long odds from the start.
“It’s not easy,” Ordega said. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, Nigeria is in the Group of Death.’ But for me, it’s not a group of death; it’s a group of survival.”
To survive, Nigeria will have to tighten a defense that has conceded five goals and displayed an inability to defend set pieces. But Nigeria’s swift, ambitious attack poses an unpredictable threat, one that helped the Super Falcons recover from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits in forging a 3-3 draw with heavily favored Sweden in Winnipeg.
Ordega’s goal came in the 87th minute. With teammate Ngozi Okobi in possession, Ordega made a stealth central run and gathered the through ball in stride to steer a low shot past the goalkeeper.courtesy: Washington Post.