Ahead of this weekend’s clash against Cork City, Sydney Stephens spoke about her recent goalscoring form, the growing chemistry within the squad and adapting to life in Ireland following her move to Sligo Rovers.

Reflecting on her recent run of form

“I’m definitely proud of it. Definitely some of the individual efforts I’m really proud of, but I think the team efforts are really what I’m kind of more focused on.

I think the more that we can kind of put together team goals and just team moments where we’re really connecting a lot of passes and kind of getting in behind and finishing our chances, the better. And I’ve just been fortunate to be on the back end of some of that.

I think you also see a lot of set-piece goals coming out. Whether it’s me that scored or CJ or somebody else that has scored, there’s been a lot of restarts and set-piece goals that we’ve been able to capitalise on.

So I am proud of some of those individual efforts, but at the end of the day, I might just be the person tapping it in at the back post. People have teed it up for me. So yeah, just the more that we can kind of keep creating that chemistry on the field, the better.”

Building momentum after a difficult start to the season

“Yeah, for sure. I think with so many new faces on our team, we weren’t sure what to expect.

We hadn’t settled into this league early on. We had the good result against Athlone, but there were still certainly some points left for us that we didn’t get right.

I think we knew that going into the last three or four matches. There’s definitely still points on the table for us to take.

I think we go into every game knowing and feeling that we can win. It’s just about putting it all together on the day.

I think it’s coming together slowly but surely. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We know this is a long season. We want to be in our best form towards the end of that and that’s what we’re building towards.”

Adapting to life in Ireland and building relationships within the squad

“Anytime you are making a transition and adjustment to a new team, a new system and a new programme, I think it takes a little bit to kind of build that trust and earn that trust and that goes both ways.

That goes from them as managers to us and then us to them as managers. So I do think that there was a little bit of a learning curve coming over here and understanding maybe a little bit of a different style of play.

European football and football in Ireland is a little bit different than what we’re used to.

So I think for them letting us take the reins when they see fit and obviously us letting them kind of do their thing and coach has been a huge bonus there.

As Americans, we bring a different kind of mentality to the game that is really helpful in moments. But at the same time, I think we do have to dial back some of that mentality and really understand what the game calls for.

As far as our relationship, I think we’re really creating a good one and continuing to build that trust.”

Differences between football in the USA and Ireland

“A lot of people have asked me that question and a lot of people have said that the League of Ireland is really physical.

I think it’s certainly physical, but I also think the NCAA is equally as physical. The thing about the NCAA is that it’s extremely athletic.

Girls are in the gym three times a week in the spring and twice a week during the season.

I think from a resource standpoint the NCAA is much further along in terms of development. The money that’s involved in college sports in the United States is insane.

That’s not to say the League of Ireland isn’t good. I think it’s just really different.”

Looking ahead to Cork City and the weeks ahead

“I think for us as a team, every single game we look at on the weekend we’re going, ‘Hey, that’s three points that we can win.’

We’re definitely looking ahead saying this is another opportunity for three points.

We want to keep getting results before the mid-season break and then hopefully really hit our stride after that.

Cara Jordan has had an impeccable impact, Emma Duffy has had an impeccable impact and I think you’re going to see some of our injuries come back around the mid-season break as well.

There’s been a little inconsistency from us, but all those ups and downs are learning moments for us.

I think now we’re hitting that point where we can start getting a little more consistency in our performances and results.”

Thoughts on the Golden Boot race

“It’s been on my mind since day one.

I’ve actually never considered myself a scorer or even a goalscorer before, so stepping into that role here has been a different part of my game and something that I’m really growing into as a player.

I think I also look at the fact that I’ve scored in the last four games and now I want to make it five games. I want to make it six games. I want to keep that streak going.

Statistics are important, but it also depends on the performances I’m putting out for 90 minutes.

The more that we can develop towards playing a full 90-minute game that’s tactically sound, technically sound and dominant, the better I think we’ll feel.

Kudos to Dana Scheriff as well, who has been absolutely brilliant at the top of the Golden Boot race right now.

There’s definitely been a lot said about it, which is a blessing and a curse because it adds pressure, but recognition doesn’t hurt either.

At the end of the day, the pitch is where it all happens and it depends on what I’m willing to do week to week to put myself in positions where I feel confident to score goals.”

Interview conducted by Ben Dorgan.