2023 FIFA Women's World Cup: Michelle Alozie and Nigeria advance to knockout round
The defender has played the maximum time possible through all three of her group stage matches.
Michelle Alozie and her Nigeria national team are four wins away from realizing a World Cup dream.
The video above is from a previous story from June 2023.
The Houston Dash star, who was selected to play for her home country, made it out of Group B of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after the so-called "Super Falcons" notched a win and two draws, which were good enough for second place in the group.
The top two teams in each of the eight groups make it into the "knockout round," which kicks off the single-elimination phase of the World Cup.
Nigeria's quarterfinal match in Sydney, Australia, is set for Monday, Aug. 7 at 2:20 a.m. CT.
How Alozie's World Cup is shaping
The 26-year-old, whose pursuits off the pitch has been chronicled by ABC13 Sports, has played the maximum 90 minutes in each of the three group stage games, making her one of just four on Team Nigeria to do so.
Nigeria has scored just three goals in their group matches. Alozie has none of those scores, but she did pick up a yellow card during Nigeria's 3-2 win over host nation Australia.
Before Alozie began her World Cup, Eyewitness Sports reported that she would face three of her Dash teammates who were selected to Team Canada: Sophie Schmidt, Allysha Chapman, and Nichelle Prince. Canada did not qualify for the knockout stage.
The fates of three other Dash players in the World Cup remain to be determined. Havana Solaun of Jamaica, Andressa Alves of Brazil, and Paulina Gramaglia of Argentina are due to complete group play in the coming days.
Alozie's journey to the international stage is a phenomenal one. As ABC13 reported last year, Alozie is not only a standout in the NWSL, but she also uses her molecular biology degree from Yale to work as a research technician at Texas Children's Hospital.
"Just being able to do more than one passion, if you have one, is really what I'm doing," Alozie told ABC13. "That's why I have so much joy in doing it. It's not stressful. I hope I'm a role model. I don't necessarily see myself as one. But as long as I can be inspiring, that means everything. I love it, and I hope people see you can do more than just your sport."
SEE ALSO: In the lab: Houston Dash's Michelle Alozie has 'other' career at Texas Children's Hospital
