Goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln has had a whirlwind few years for both club and country. Now, as she prepares for her second FIFA U20 Women's World Cup, the CommBank Young Matildas shot-stopper said that she's excited to get started.
"We've had this two-year journey [since the last World Cup], which has been amazing," Lincoln began, "but it's been so good this past two weeks being here as a group, getting used to the altitude of course, and feeling really excited for the game."
The opening game will be held at Estadio El Campin in Bogota, Colombia. Bogota's altitude of 2640 meters above sea level presents a unique challenge for the Australians as they prepare to tackle the different conditions.
"Breathing just becomes essentially pretty difficult," Lincoln laughed.
"We've had a lot of preparation meetings about what we were going to be exposed to. All of that is coming into being a reality. I think it's about 20 or 30% performance deficit until you can adapt your body.
"We've been really fortunate to be able to be here for the amount of time that we've had. It's meant that we've been able to get more and more exposure, and therefore get used to it. It's been really, really good for the girls.
"Come time for the opening game, we're good to go."
For the most part, though, preparation has been as straightforward as possible for the goalkeepers as they prepare to take on the best U20 players in the world.
"The one thing that has changed, particularly in the past two weeks, is that the ball moves differently - due to altitude," Lincoln explained.
"That's probably one thing that's been taking a while to get used to, but [I'm] feeling really confident now around the flight of the ball and judging that.
"It's more just going through the motions and putting your best foot forward, putting everything out on the pitch, not leaving anything there and, yeah, just keeping that going until we hit the game."
Underage tournaments like this one are the best exposure that young players can have to tackling different environments and different football challenges. As one of six players returning for their second FIFA U20 Women's World Cup, Lincoln said that every experience counted.
"Each experience is unique in itself," she reflected, "so I suppose it's just about taking any learnings that I can from any exposure at this international level, and keep building on that, and keep learning from those experiences.
"It stays the same, in terms of learning from mistakes and making the most of the opportunities."
At a club level, Lincoln's journey has taken her from her hometown club Canberra United to Western United this season, the first time she will live interstate and out of home. It is all part of a learning journey that she hopes will take her to the highest level.
"I'm really excited about this new opportunity, a new challenge, and moving away from home, which will be really exciting," she explained.
"It's just about embracing a new environment and going back to that growth, trying to put myself outside of my comfort zone and give this new opportunity a go."
For the second year in a row, Australia will be taking on the host nation in their first game of the tournament. It promises to be a big crowd - sold-out, or close to - and a unique experience for many of the players.
"We are so, so lucky that we get to play the host nation two years in a row - and not only that, but it being the opening game of the World Cup," Lincoln said.
"I'm really excited to just get started, kick off with the girls. I think everyone's really looking forward to it. The anticipation has been building, and as we get closer and closer, it's becoming more and more real.
"It will definitely be a tough game, there's no doubt about it, especially with the crowd influence… a lot of us wouldn't have played in front of a crowd this big before, so it'll definitely be a new challenge.
"I'm really looking forward to making the most of the moment, and just enjoying every minute."
MATCH SCHEDULE | FIFA U-20 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP COLOMBIA 2024™
Colombia v Australia
Date: Saturday, 31 August 2024 / Sunday, 1 September 2024 (AUS)
Time: 6.00pm (local) / 9.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia
Broadcast: 10Play
Mexico v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 3 September 2024 / Wednesday, 4 September 2024 (AUS)
Time: 5.00pm (local) / 8.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia
Broadcast: 10Play
Australia v Cameroon
Date: Friday, 6 September 2024 / Saturday, 7 September 2024 (AUS)
Time: 5.00pm (local) / 8.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia
Broadcast: 10Play
