Lucy Quinn is already looking forward to making more history with the Republic of Ireland as their maiden World Cup adventure winds down.
The Girls in Green will be flying home after Monday's clash against Nigeria in Brisbane, their dreams of making it to the last 16 shattered by last Thursday's 2-1 defeat to Canada.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but there's more milestones to achieve for a team that's made a habit of breaking new ground.
In September, Ireland will play at the Aviva Stadium for the first time when Northern Ireland travel to Lansdowne Road for the opening game of the inaugural UEFA Women's Nations League campaign.
It's a nice carrot and fresh motivation following a whirlwind few weeks Down Under.
"It was exciting when it was announced, because it has maybe been in the works for a while," said Quinn.
"We love playing at Tallaght, with the atmosphere, and you always want the seats to be filled.
"But it's also about pushing the women’s game and the momentum we’ve had. I haven’t thought that much about it, because obviously we are in the tournament here, but hopefully it will be absolutely packed and another first. Hopefully I’m still fit, and selected and that I’ll be a part of that."
Quinn had a strong first half against Canada but was withdrawn for Abbie Larkin at half-time. The Birmingham midfielder has had to really scrap for minutes over the last year, but she's hoping for more opportunities to shine.
"Not that I'm aware of," the 29-year-old said when asked if her withdrawal was pre-planned.
"It's such a talented squad and they felt the game needed a young player like Abbie Larkin to come on and cause trouble.
"I’d had a conversation with Abbie previously about me doing what I could for as long as possible and then her coming on and doing what she normally does.
"She was brilliant against Australia and she has got a massive future ahead of herself.
"I feel like I had good moments, getting in down the right side. I do feel that in the second half that's something that I could have continued to do, but Abbie is just as capable of finding those pockets and running with the ball and of causing defenders real issues.
"I always want to step out and leave everything on the pitch and it’s just a shame we couldn’t get the result. I was really disappointed with that."
Quinn has relieved the tension that comes with being in an international bubble by catching some waves. A keen surfer, she's been making the most of her first rip to Australia.
"I sat with my parents at dinner last night and were talking about things we’ve done over here.
"Obviously we’ve gone and done a bit of sight-seeing. I went for a little surf at Surfers Paradise [on the Gold Coast] and stuff like that. You just think, these are the kinds of opportunities my job has given me and I am just super lucky to say this is my career.
"We’d surf in Cornwall every now and again with the family. Obviously then you get a bit more serious with football going into pre-season and you don’t have as much time to do that. That was really fun, I’ve ticked it off the bucket list. There were a few wipeouts, which was really entertaining for the girls. It was just a good day.
"To be fair, that’s part of it, you kind of need the waves to surf. It’s not like a swimming beach. But I was saying to my parents, they went down there yesterday and this was their winter and it was absolutely beautiful. I’m just really happy that we have got to experience that.
"I got wiped out, apparently my dad was wiped out too. I missed that, so that’s a bit of a shame, but it’s been good fun."
It'll be all over soon, with Ireland targeting a result against an impressive Nigerian outfit to head home on a high. It won't be easy.
"It’s such a tough group and it’s another tough game," added Quinn. "They are such a good team and they offer us a different challenge from the other teams. You want to go out and you want to win and you want to give the fans something to celebrate, and you want to go into your first tournament and get points.
"But realistically it's going to be such a tough match and we are going to have to be good. If you start overthinking things too much you’ll get lost from what you want to achieve. No matter what happens in the last game, I think the girls have represented themselves and the team so well. There’s more to give and hopefully we’ll get some well-earned points."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Nigeria in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Monday at 11am, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on 2fm
