Tara Murray
New Western United goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln is excited to take on the world with the Young Matildas at the under-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the tournament which started on Sunday, Lincoln said the group was eagerly waiting to get down to business.
“I’ve been absolutely loving it to be honest,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming to be here, a couple of days away from the opening game.
“We’ve had this two year journey, which has been amazing. It has been so good these past two weeks to be here as a group and getting used to the altitude and feeling really excited.”
Lincoln has been part of the squad throughout the preparation and qualification for the tournament.
Lincoln was part of the 2022 under-20 World Cup squad as a 17-year-old.
She reflected on that tournament and the development that has taken place to lead her and the team into this year’s edition.
“Oh my gosh, it’s been a journey,” she said. “It’s just been incredible to be a part of this group.
“Everyone, the girls, coaches, staff – it’s just been a whirlwind and we’ve bonded through all the highs and lows.
“We’ve been working to this one goal to be here, representing our country at the World Cup, so it’s just all coming together at once and really appreciating the moment as a group, that we’ve been able to achieve this.”
Lincoln said they had been told that the opening game was close to capacity or potentially being sold out.
She said they were lucky to play the host nation of Columbia in the first match. The Matildas lost that match 2-0 with Lincoln the starting goalkeeper for Australia.
Lincoln, who has played 37 A-League Women’s matches made the move to Western United in the off season.
She said it’s a really exciting new opportunity.
“I’m really, really grateful that I’m going to an incredible club like Western United,” she said.
“It’s just about embracing a new environment, trying to put myself out of my comfort zone and giving this new opportunity a go.”
For her, it’s about focusing on one day at a time.
“You don’t really feel, in the moment, too much growth because you just take it day by day,” she said.
“I try to stay in the moment as best I can, whether that’s being at Canberra United or now with Western United, or with the under-23s which I’m also grateful to be a part of.
“It’s just about taking it day by day, trying to keep on learning, keep on growing, and bit by bit I can get that little bit better and grow that little bit more.”
“Each experience is unique in itself, so I suppose it’s just about taking any learnings that I can from any exposure at this international level and keep building on that.”
