TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Senior Heather Payne and Former Florida State soccer player Megan Connolly will head to Australia/New Zealand to represent the Republic of Ireland at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 23-woman roster was announced on June 28. The Republic of Ireland qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup along with their first-ever appearance in a global or European women’s competition. Connolly has amassed 39 appearances and four goals as a midfielder for her nation while Payne has 34 appearances and kept four clean sheets as one the premier defenders in the qualification stages. Ireland will face Australia, Canada, and Nigeria in Group B. The Girls in Green will start their campaign on Thursday, July 20 at 6 a.m., against the co-hosts in Sydney, Australia. This will mark Ireland’s first appearance at a Men’s or Women’s World Cup since the men’s national team reached the round of 16 in the Korea/Japan 2002 edition. Entering her final season, Payne helped the Seminoles win the National Championship in 2021 and achieve three straight College Cup appearances from 2020-2022. She earned a spot on the 2019 All-ACC Freshman Team and 2022 All-ACC Third Team along with keeping 32 clean sheets, scoring six goals and seven assists. As member of English-side Brighton & Hove Albion, Connolly started 13 games this past season with 14 appearances and an assist. During her time at FSU, she played in 88 games with 55 starts and helped the Seminoles to their second NCAA National Championship in her final game. She began with an NSCAA All-American First Team selection and was named the ACC Midfielder of the Year in her 2015 freshman season. She also earned All-ACC First and Second Team selections and finished with 21 goals, 20 assists, and ten game winning goals. Follow Florida State soccer on Twitter (@FSUSoccer), Instagram (@nolesoccer), and like our Facebook page (Facebook.com/FSUSoccer) to keep up to date with everything about Seminole soccer.