NORTHERN Ireland’s Women’s Under-19 team are set to face Hungary’s WU19s in a friendly tomorrow (Sunday, July 14).
Dixon Park, the home of Ballyclare Comrades FC, is the venue for the international challenge match, with the game scheduled to kick off at 1.00pm.
Northern Ireland WU19s boss Gail Redmond (pictured below) has chosen a 20-strong panel for the fixture as she moulds a new team ahead of Euro qualifiers in late autumn.
Redmond’s side will face Spain, Belgium and Iceland in stage one of the qualifiers for the 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship at the end of November, with Spain hosting the four-team League A Group 6 mini tournament.
Northern Ireland’s WU19s were promoted to League A after winning League B Group 5 in stage two of the qualifiers for Women’s U19 Euro 2024. In those group matches, played in April, they defeated Estonia (2-0) and Georgia (5-0) and drew 0-0 with Kazakhstan.
League A consists of 28 teams. The teams finishing fourth in seven groups will be relegated to League B for 2024-25 Round 2, with the other positions deciding seeding for League A in that round.
League A R2, drawn on 6 December and played between either 17 and 26 February or 31 March and 8 April next year, will decide the seven teams joining hosts Poland in the finals from 15 to 27 June 2025.
There’s free entry to tomorrow’s game in Ballyclare.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kate Smith and Cerys Sharkey (both Larne Women).
Defenders: Abi Sweetlove (Linfield Women), Orleigha McGuinness (Cliftonville Ladies), Sofie Keenan (Glentoran Women), Sophie Magee (Grasshoppers Zurich, SUI), Faye Loughran (Lisburn Rangers), Niamh O’Donnell (Mid Ulster Ladies).
Midfielders: Anastasia Stanyte (Craigavon City), Darcie McNeill (Crusaders Strikers), Aimee Kerr (Glentoran Women), Zara Boyd (Gold Rush, AUS), Niamh Boothroyd (Sunderland Women).
Forwards: Rhianna Breen, Bernie Ferreira and Sophie Gargan (all Linfield Women), Rachel McIntyre and Kascie Weir (Glentoran Women), Rebecca Mann (Crusaders Strikers), Ella Parker (Larne Women).
Coach Gail Redmond
