Florida State soccer student-athlete Heather Payne and former player Megan Connolly will head to Australia/New Zealand to represent the Republic of Ireland as members of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 23-woman roster was announced on June 28.
The Republic of Ireland qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup along with their first-ever appearance in a global or European women’s competition.
Connolly has 39 appearances and four goals as a midfielder for Ireland during qualification stages while Payne has 34 appearances and kept four clean sheets as one of the premier defenders.
Ireland will face Australia, Canada, and Nigeria in Group B and start their campaign on July 20 at 6 a.m., against the co-hosts in Sydney, Australia.
This will mark Ireland’s first appearance at a Men’s or Women’s World Cup since the men’s national team reached the round of 16 in the Korea/Japan 2002 edition.
Payne helped the Seminoles win the National Championship in 2021 and achieve three straight College Cup appearances from 2020-2022. She earned a spot on the 2019 All-ACC Freshman Team and 2022 All-ACC Third Team along with keeping 32 clean sheets, scoring six goals and seven assists.
As a member of Brighton & Hove Albion, Connolly started 13 games this past season with 14 appearances and an assist. During her time at FSU, she played in 88 games with 55 starts and helped the Seminoles to their second NCAA National Championship in her final game. She was a multiple All-American and All-ACC selection over her career.
- OG
- WDE
- WR
- PRO
- OLB
- DT
