Texas Tech University Athletics
Murphy Receives First Cap with Ireland
April 19, 2021 | Women's Soccer
Former Red Raider midfielder receives first international minutes with Republic of Ireland.
DUBLIN – Former Texas Tech midfielder Alli Murphy received her first international cap last week with the Republic of Ireland. Murphy, a five-year pro who played her last season at Tech in 2015, appeared in Ireland's 1-0 exhibition loss against Belgium.
"It was truly an honor to get my first senior cap with Ireland," said Murphy. "It was a surreal feeling and a moment in my career I will never forget. It was a dream come true."
Murphy's journey to donning the Irish crest has been a winding one. With grandparents hailing from the historic city of Limerick, Murphy had access to an Irish passport which she used to travel throughout Europe during her time as a professional overseas. When Vera Pauw, who took over as manager for the Republic of Ireland in 2019, learned of Murphy's descent, she got in touch with her. Murphy was called into camp with the team ahead of the UEFA Women's EURO Qualifiers last September. She has remained with the squad during training since then while playing professionally with the London City Lionesses of the FA Women's Championship in England, with whom she signed in 2020.
Last Sunday, Murphy became the first Red Raider to earn a call-up to a European nation's senior national team. She is the fifth alumnus overall to earn a call-up to a national team: Janine Beckie '15 (Canada), Jaelene Daniels '14 (USA), Victoria Esson '13 (New Zealand) and Luana Munoz '20 (Argentina).
Murphy earned the start and played 45 minutes of the exhibition match.
Head coach Tom Stone had plenty to say of his former midfielder's accomplishment.
"Ally is the definition of persistence and she has been wired this way since was very young," he said. "She has always wanted to be a professional soccer player and has worked tirelessly to get to that level. Now she gets to add international at the senior team level to her list of accomplishments and no one who knows her is surprised. Ally is the embodiment of Red Raider work ethic and willingness to grind to get what she wants. We are incredibly proud of her and wish her the best with Ireland."
"It was truly an honor to get my first senior cap with Ireland," said Murphy. "It was a surreal feeling and a moment in my career I will never forget. It was a dream come true."
Murphy's journey to donning the Irish crest has been a winding one. With grandparents hailing from the historic city of Limerick, Murphy had access to an Irish passport which she used to travel throughout Europe during her time as a professional overseas. When Vera Pauw, who took over as manager for the Republic of Ireland in 2019, learned of Murphy's descent, she got in touch with her. Murphy was called into camp with the team ahead of the UEFA Women's EURO Qualifiers last September. She has remained with the squad during training since then while playing professionally with the London City Lionesses of the FA Women's Championship in England, with whom she signed in 2020.
Last Sunday, Murphy became the first Red Raider to earn a call-up to a European nation's senior national team. She is the fifth alumnus overall to earn a call-up to a national team: Janine Beckie '15 (Canada), Jaelene Daniels '14 (USA), Victoria Esson '13 (New Zealand) and Luana Munoz '20 (Argentina).
Murphy earned the start and played 45 minutes of the exhibition match.
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— FAIreland ?????? (@FAIreland) April 11, 2021
Brought to you by @AVIVAIRELAND
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Head coach Tom Stone had plenty to say of his former midfielder's accomplishment.
"Ally is the definition of persistence and she has been wired this way since was very young," he said. "She has always wanted to be a professional soccer player and has worked tirelessly to get to that level. Now she gets to add international at the senior team level to her list of accomplishments and no one who knows her is surprised. Ally is the embodiment of Red Raider work ethic and willingness to grind to get what she wants. We are incredibly proud of her and wish her the best with Ireland."
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