Women’s February 2024 International Round-Up
Six of Southampton FC Women’s players were in action for their countries in the February 2024 international break, with milestone appearances for Laura Rafferty and Megan Collett.
In the UEFA Women’s Nations League play-offs, Rafferty’s Northern Ireland side faced Montenegro in a bid to keep their place in League B of the competition’s group rankings.
Saints’ defender played all 90 minutes of both games, as Northern Ireland won 2-0 in the first leg in Podgorica before securing their League B status with a 1-1 draw in the second leg at Windsor Park.
The second leg represented a proud moment for Rafferty, who led her country out from the start as captain for the first time.
Meanwhile, another milestone match came for fellow Saints defender Collett, who made her debut for England’s Under-19s during a friendly camp in Alicante.
Having been out of the set-up in recent camps after battling through injury, Collett's recent club form earned her spot back in the national system for the first time at Under-19s level.
She started and played the full 90 minutes on her debut for Interim Head Coach John Griffiths’s side, as England narrowly lost 3-2 against France.
Collett then played an hour in the second game, as her side fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Norway and end their camp on a positive note.
Elsewhere for Saints’ Young Lionesses, there was a unique opportunity for Ella Morris, Lucia Kendall and Molly Pike with the Under-23s, who joined Sarina Wiegman’s senior side for their camp in Marbella.
They kicked off their camp with a defeat against Spain; Pike was the only member of the trio to start, as she played 72 minutes before being replaced by her clubmate Kendall to see out the game.
The pair were unused in the second game, as Ella Morris earned her opportunity in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
Morris played the full 90 minutes, after being kept on the bench in the first fixture, and she made some impressive impacts throughout the contest as England ended their camp with a hard-fought draw.
Finally, Alice Griffiths enjoyed another training camp with Wales but was an unused substitute in their friendly victory over the Republic of Ireland.
Saints’ internationals return to Staplewood ahead of the Barclays Women’s Championship run-in, with one more international break scheduled at the beginning of April.
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