Ben Shelton couldn’t contain his excitement after witnessing his girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, make a stunning return to the soccer field. The American tennis star was left stunned as Rodman came off the bench late in the game and scored a clutch goal in stoppage time, sealing a dramatic 2-1 win for the Washington Spirit over the Portland Thorns at Audi Field in Washington, DC.
How Did Trinity Rodman’s Return Impact the Washington Spirit’s Victory?
Trinity Rodman’s performance was a powerful statement after a challenging few months on the sidelines. The 23-year-old had been nursing a back injury since mid-April, keeping her off the pitch for over three months. Her return was timed perfectly, stepping onto the field in the 76th minute with her team chasing a result.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Rodman rifled in a sensational goal that broke the deadlock and gave the Spirit all three points, much to the delight of the home crowd at Audi Field.
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Shelton took to social media to share the moment. The former NCAA champion posted a short clip of Rodman’s goal on his Instagram stories and captioned it with a proud message: “Plays 15 mins first game back and scores a banger.”
During her recovery period, Rodman had been a constant presence by Shelton’s side. Over the summer, she joined him on tour across Europe, supporting him at tournaments like the Wimbledon Championships.
How Is Ben Shelton Performing at the National Bank Open in Toronto?
Meanwhile, Shelton is putting together an impressive run in both singles and doubles at the National Bank Open in Toronto. As the fourth seed, he benefited from a first-round bye before easing past Adrian Mannarino, 23rd seed Brandon Nakashima, and 13th seed Flavio Cobolli to secure a maiden quarterfinal berth.
Up next for Shelton is ninth seed Alex de Minaur in what will be their first-ever clash on the ATP Tour. The winner will meet either sixth seed Andrey Rublev or the winner of the match between 19th seed Jiří Lehečka and second seed Taylor Fritz in the semifinals.
In doubles, Shelton has joined forces with Frenchman Arthur Fils. The duo has taken down the American pair of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, as well as the eighth-seeded team of Hugo Nys and Édouard Roger-Vasselin.
They now face fourth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz in the quarterfinals. A victory there would set up a semifinal meeting with either Sander Arends/Guido Andreozzi or second seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.
