“It was an awesome game and the Red Angels put up a really fierce fight, which makes me so proud of my teammates,” said the number 12. “They worked very hard for 90 minutes, and I’m glad I could make that count in the end.

“This was easily the best goal of my career because I don’t usually find the back of the net from such a distance. So even though it’s a one-off, I’ll take it,” she added with a laugh.

The first half saw both sides struggling to finish despite plenty of opportunities coming their way, and according to the teenager, it was the few words of encouragement from coach Michael Matricciani that did the trick for her as she stepped onto the field at the 45th minute mark.

“The half-time helped the team reset a bit. We knew we had a couple of things to work on, and we knew the game of our opponents, so it was an opportunity for us to just get our heads back in the game,” she said. “I also knew I’d have to run a bit more than the other girls who had already been out there for 45 minutes in the heat."

“Just as I was coming off the bench, my coach told me to go out there and do my best, and that was all I needed to hear at that moment. We all know what our jobs are on the field, but those words of encouragement really went a long way.”