October 15, (THEWILL) – Ashleigh Plumptre enjoyed a dream debut for Al-Ittihad Ladies as she scored a hat-trick to help them claim a 3-0 victory over Eastern Flames in the opening match of the 2023 Saudi Women’s Premier League on Saturday.
The 25-year-old opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a powerful shot from 18 yards after Eastern Flames failed to clear a corner properly. She doubled Al-Ittihad’s advantage on the hour mark by getting herself in a good position to bury a well-delivered free kick.
Plumptre completed her hat-trick in the 65th minute with an audacious shot from inside the penalty area. It was her first competitive appearance for the Saudi Arabian club since joining them as a free agent last month.
The versatile fullback previously represented Leicester City but ended her time with the club in July when her contract expired.
Plumptre played a key role for Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA Women’s World Cup, helping the Super Falcons reach the last 16 where they were knocked out by eventual finalists England.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.