Republic of Ireland U-17 Head Coach Colin Bell has announced the squad for the upcoming UEFA Elite Round qualifiers in Germany, reports fai.ie.
Ireland U-17s travel to Greifswald in north-east Germany on Monday 19th March, where they will face Iceland, Azerbaijan and hosts, Germany.
Bell’s squad were able to progress past Romania, Greece, and Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Qualifying Round by winning all three games without conceding a goal. With only top spot enough to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championships in Lithuania in May, they will now need to beat current champions Germany to make the finals.
Lucia Lobato, Alannah McEvoy and Megan Mackey have all progressed to the U-19 team, so UCD Waves’ Shauna Carroll, Passage AFC’s Lauren Egbuloniu and Shelbourne’s Taylor White are all called into the squad.
Bell told fai.ie: “We need to go into the UEFA Elite Round qualifiers with a positive frame of mind and look to build on the impressive results we obtained in the qualifying phase.
“We’ve been handed a difficult draw, especially against the current Champions Germany, but I believe this is a talented group who, when at their very best, can push the best teams out there.
“The likes of Tyler Toland, Isibeal Atkinson, Eabha O’Mahony, Amy Boyle Carr and Zara Foley have all recently spent time with the senior squad and I’m sure they will be better for that experience.
“We welcome Shauna (Carroll), Lauren (Egbuloniu) and Taylor (White) into the squad after performing well for the Under-16s side and we need all players to be at their very best to progress to the finals in May.”
Republic of Ireland U-17 squad
Goalkeepers: Rachael Kelly (Shelbourne Ladies), Courtney Maguire (Cabinteely)
Defenders: Eabha O’Mahony (Lakewood), Roisin McGovern (UCD Waves), Rachel O’Regan (Carrigaline), Harriet Lambe (Yeovil Town), Leah Brady (Lucan United), Doireann Fahey (Peamount United)
Midfielders: Tyler Toland (Maiden City), Jessica Ziu, Isibeal Atkinson, Taylor White (Shelbourne Ladies), Aoife Slattery (Ferrybank), Amy Boyle Carr (Sion Swifts), Lauren Egbuloniu (Passage AFC)
Attackers: Emily Whelan (Shelbourne Ladies), Andrea Trill (Cregmore), Louise Masterson (Peamount United), Zara Foley (Lakewood), Shauna Carroll (UCD Waves)
