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Confluence Queens FC of Lokoja goalkeeper, Sylvia Echefu says she is seriously thinking about being part of Nigeria’s squad for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
Although the competition is scheduled to run from October to November this year and Nigeria still has one more hurdle to cross, Echefu is already talking about her plans with the Flamingoes.
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The agile shot-stopper, who was recently voted as the best goalkeeper in the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL), confessed that she will not allow her club commitments to debar her from the national team.
So it was that Echefu missed her club’s first match in the NWFL Super-6, and they lost 5-1 to Edo Queens of Benin City.
Although she admitted it was a very damaging result for their title ambitions, Sylvia posited that the Kogi State-owned side will just have to start planning for next season, while she strives to become the Flamingoes’ first-choice shot-stopper.
Echefu stated, “This season has been one of the best for me, but I want to keep improving. I still believe that by next season, I will double my effort and make sure that I’ll be better than this season.
“My going to the national team and absence from my club’s first match of the Super-6 was not a distraction. Rather, it was morale-boosting. I won’t because of my club lose what I want for my career.
“Though my club officials called for me, I wasn’t released by Coach Bankole, and I missed our first match of the Super 6. That was what brought all this pressure on.”
She then went philosophical, averring that that the 2024 title is already beyond Confluence Queens and urged them to start preparing for next season, while she is eyeing the Women’s Under-17 Mundial.
Echefu added: “This Super-6 will end on Sunday, so we can only hope that in the next edition, we will do much, much better than this one.
“With regards to being number one in the national team, I will wait patiently for my time to come. The other goalkeepers that are there are doing well, and we are carrying everybody along.
“I believe that in our match against Liberia, we will win to qualify for the World Cup from October to November. I believe if I’m opportune to keep in any of the national team’s matches, I will do my best.”
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