Peamount United forward Erin McLaughlin has admitted to her surprise at receiving a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad, but the Donegal teenager is determined to grasp her opportunity and force her way into Vera Pauw's World Cup panel next summer.
Ireland arrived in Marbella on Monday for an eight-day Spain sojourn that will include a behind-closed-doors encounter against Morocco before a full international friendly against their fellow World Cup finalists on 14 November.
McLaughlin was one of two players to receive a maiden call-up to the 26-woman Ireland squad, with Shelbourne’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Katie Keane also included after their impressive displays in training with the home-based squad.
"I've great ambitions to go to the World Cup, so hopefully Vera can have a look now and see"
It was the Peamount player’s sister who broke the unexpected news, with McLaughlin telling RTÉ Sport: "I actually just found out whenever the squad was released, so it was actually my sister who saw it first.
"She called me over and said, 'Oh, look! You made the Ireland squad!’ It was great to hear.
"I've been in the home-based sessions and was building towards it but I wasn't really expecting it so soon. I've been in the home-based squad since the under-17s.
"I'm just so grateful that Vera's given me the chance.
"It's a nice camp to come into with two friendlies (one training game). I can just show what I can do, hopefully.
"I've great ambitions to go to the World Cup, so hopefully Vera can have a look now and see.
McLaughlin believes the experience of training with domestically based players at international level from a young age has been a major plus in her development.
"I was first brought in when I was under-17 because Colin Bell was the manager and he was our under-17 manager as well.
"He brought a few of us up to the home-based squad. I think it was just a great year of training with top-class players in the league in Ireland.
"You improve so much, just in that high intensity environment and you learn so much.
"It's brilliant for young players to come in. To have that under my belt is definitely good."
The 19-year-old’s move to Maynooth University prompted a switch to the James O’Callaghan-managed Peamount United at the beginning of the year, following two seasons with Sion Swifts in the NIFL Premiership.
"Pea is a great club and I'm really enjoying playing there," McLaughlin said. "I suppose it was always a club I wanted to play for.
"Whenever James asked me to come and train I was delighted to go and train. As soon as I started training, I knew the club was for me."
Reflecting on the differences between her time with Sion and now with Peamount in the more testing environs of the Women’s National League, she explained: "We played all our games on astroturf, so there's no grass.
"That makes a bit of a difference and there are more teams in the South. There are 10 teams.
"Last year, whenever I played in the North, there were only six teams. It's eight this year so it's better, but last year you kind of felt it was repetitive – you were playing the same teams over and over. With the increase to eight teams, that's good to see."
"Five thousand people at a women's final – you never thought you would have seen that"
Culdaff was where it all began for burgeoning international, and like so many, her career began mixing it against the opposite sex.
"Culdaff would only have had a boys team, so I started playing for them from five or six, the whole way up," McLaughlin revealed.
"Then I got to under-14 and switched to a girls’ club based in Malin Head called Sea Rovers.
"I was allowed to play both, so I played boys’ for Culdaff and girls’ for Sea Rovers. That was how it all started."
McLaughlin watched on with her housemates when her fellow Donegal woman Amber Barrett fired Ireland to a historic World Cup berth last month.
An evening charged with emotion was inspirational for many watching, not least the new Ireland call-up.
"You know how proud she is to be from Donegal and it's just class to look up there and know you're from Donegal as well.
"It gives all girls a push, knowing that you could do that as well."
The momentum carries on, with a bumper crowd at last weekend’s Women’s Cup final – where Shelbourne accounted for Athlone Town – evidence of that.
"You can see that everyone is buzzed about women's football now, especially with qualifying for the World Cup, you can see that everyone is getting more involved.
"It shows – 5,000 people at a women's final – you never thought you would have seen that."
Watch the FAI Cup final, Derry City v Shelbourne, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Sunday from 2.15pm with live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 and follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app
