CommBank Matildas goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln said that making her starting debut for the senior national team against Panama was an experience that she’ll never forget.
She was speaking after the team defeated the Central American nation 3-2 to finish the international window on a high.
“It was definitely a great experience, and something I'll never forget,” she said.
“It was a huge honour to be able to walk out as part of the starting eleven. There are a few positives to take away, and definitely a lot of learning. So I’m excited to watch the footage back and see what there is to take away.”
The 20-year-old was given some advice from her fellow goalkeepers before she went out on the pitch.
“The main message was to just enjoy the experience,” she said.
“You only get your starting debut once, so make the most of it, soak it in and just try your best to make some saves, try and impact the game. I don't think it was too complicated.”
Not only have her teammates been a big part of her journey so far, but her coaches have as well. She recalled a moment that she shared with Goalkeeping Coach Tony Franken post-game.
“He [Franken] came over and gave me a big hug, and it was pretty special to share that moment with him,” she recalled.
“Something similar happened when I made my debut. He can be hard on us, but it's in a way, he's so caring.
“It’s been awesome to be able to be coached by him. He's so intelligent. He has so much knowledge around the game and the position and I'm hanging off every word he says, because he's just so knowledgeable.”
She made an eye-catching full-length save in the second half to keep Australia’s lead at the time intact. It was one of many saves in a solid performance from the youngster, where she also had to deal with Panama’s physicality on the pitch.
“[The advice was] try and take the contest out of it,” she revealed.
“It's quite hard, and sometimes it's unavoidable. But I think the girls definitely put in a good shift today in terms of physicality and matching them, something that we maybe lacked in Bunbury.
“I was very proud of the group for the way they got stuck in, especially in the second half. I think we gave it back to them a little bit.”
Starting in defence ahead of her was a familiar face. Jessika Nash has played alongside Lincoln in the CommBank Young Matildas and Future Matildas programs.
Lincoln was full of praise for the performance of her teammate.
“I trust Jess with my life,” she said.
“I think she's an incredible player, incredible person. The sort of stuff that you just can't teach in someone is to put their body on the line – like, that was amazing [in the second half].
“She was a bit sore afterwards, so to get up and keep pushing it and playing for the group [is amazing] - I think I even took her out at the end there after a cross, so she copped it tonight.
“It was just an amazing experience to start alongside her tonight, and hopefully she's not too sore.”
At such a young age, the goalkeeper from Armidale has the best of her career in front of her. She said that she wasn’t thinking too far into the future at this stage but was relishing every opportunity to improve that she could get.
“I'm just grateful to be a part of this team, and it's an honour to put on this jersey, to be representing your country in the squad,” she said.
“I’m just making the most of any opportunity I can get. I can't speak to the future. I'm not sure what that'll look like. But I really love coming in every time, and I really hope to get some more opportunities.
“I'm also happy to bide my time and be patient around it. There's definitely some amazing goalkeepers within the group. I'm just feel very honoured and privileged that I got to play tonight, and hopefully some more opportunities [in the future], but we'll see what happens.”
