There are perhaps few better ways to write yourself into football folklore than by saving a penalty to help your country qualify for their first ever major tournament.
It's a feat Courtney Brosnan quite rightly regards as one of the proudest moments of her career; the Everton goalkeeper having beaten away Caroline Weir's 13th minute spot-kick in October's World Cup play-offs at Hampden Park.
A second-half strike from Amber Barrett and some more sublime shot-stopping from Brosnan ensured the Republic of Ireland booked their passage to this summer's showpiece event in Australia and New Zealand. And now, five months on from that historic victory over Scotland, Brosnan is still struggling to digest the magnitude of her achievement.
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"Sometimes, because this is our job and what we do every day, you don’t get the chance to take a step back and look at how far you’ve come and everything you’ve achieved," she told the ECHO.
"When I think about it, it's really special because as a kid I would have conversations with my parents about wanting to play professionally and wanting to play at the World Cup. They were probably looking at me like, ‘yeah, okay’, and so to now have done that it's really cool and something I definitely don’t take for granted.
"Its been an amazing journey playing for the Republic of Ireland and playing with a really special group of girls. It was great to be able to help the team get over the line and qualify."
As well as impressing on the international stage, Brosnan is also enjoying a fine season at Everton, having turned in a string of impressive performances for the Blues this term. The 27-year-old - who is eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland through her paternal grandparents - grew up more than 3,000 miles away from Walton Hall Park, in Millburn, New Jersey.
In many ways though, her 2021 switch from West Ham to Everton felt like a full circle moment; Brosnan having idolised legendary Blues goalkeeper Tim Howard since childhood.
“I always idolised Tim Howard because he was an American who played in the Premier League and obviously played at Everton," she said. "It was so cool to see an American succeed overseas in Europe where you know the quality of football is so amazing.”
Brosnan got her first opportunity to emulate her footballing hero when she made her Everton debut against Manchester City in 2021, and she's since gone on to establish herself as an integral member of Brian Sorensen's squad.
The Everton boss has previously stated his preference for regularly alternating between his goalkeepers rather than having a definitive number one, and Brosnan believes the competition between herself and Manchester United loanee Emily Ramsey only serves to make the team even stronger.
"Everyone here is obviously competing for their positions every week which makes you put your best foot forward in training and on the pitch," she said. "It really helps to drive the team and the standards training.
"It’s been great having Brian come in because he has a clear structure and path that he wants to follow. Obviously it takes time to get that going but you can see the progress we’ve made and the steps we’re taking in the right direction in terms of performances and results. It's been really positive for us as a group to see that."
Everton currently sit sixth in the WSL table, having seen their four-game unbeaten streak ended by mid-table rivals Aston Villa last time out. The Blues will have the perfect opportunity to atone for that defeat when they take on Leicester City this weekend and, while the Foxes are currently rock bottom of the league table, Brosnan is expecting a stern test when her side travels to the King Power.
"You can see the quality throughout this whole league, even in teams at the bottom," she said. "Every game is so difficult no matter who you’re playing so Leicester will be an important test for us.
"They’ve gained a bit of momentum and picked up points against Liverpool and are looking to climb their way up the table. We obviously want to keep picking up points too so it will be a big game for us."
While Brosnan's focus is firmly on this weekend's clash in the East Midlands, she is also conscious her big game experience may be called upon again when Everton host Liverpool in the Merseyside derby later this month.
The 27-year-old kept a clean sheet as the Blues romped to victory in the reverse fixture at Anfield back in September, and she is hopeful her side can replicate that same scintillating form when they welcome their local rivals to Goodison Park on March 24.
"I’m really excited," Brosnan said. "It was such a special experience playing at Anfield and I think everyone is looking forward to be able to doing it at our home too.
"We want to create more special memories and get as many fans down there as possible to support us because we want to put in a good performance for them and hopefully get the same result that we did at Anfield."
Everton and Liverpool will face off in the WSL Merseyside derby at Goodison Park at 7.30pm on Friday March 24. Tickets are now on general sale. You can find out more here.
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