JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman freshman goalkeeper Jackie Burns recently returned to Mossy Creek from a stint with the Northern Ireland national team and appeared in 2017 UEFA Women's European Championships qualifiers.
Burns, a mid-year transfer, started for Northern Ireland against Italy on April 12 in a 3-1 loss.
"It's an unbelievable experience. I've been away with them before during World Cup qualifiers, but to actually getting playing time, it was an honor and a privilege for my country," Burns aid.
In her Euros debut, Burns faced 14 shots on targets and tallied 11 saves. She held the Italians scoreless for the first 70 minutes of play before conceding a goal in the 71st-minute; Italy added goals in the 86th and 93rd for the 3-1 final.
Former Carson-Newman goalkeeper Tiarna McKenna also dressed in the Italy contest and was available on the bench, but did not play.
The freshman has represented Northern Ireland in other competitions, including the 2015 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championships qualifiers. In the Under-19 Championships qualifiers, Burns started all three matches in the group stage and twice in the Elite round. Northern Ireland failed to qualify for the Under-19 Championships that was played in Israel.
"It's a completely different aspect of the game. You play against England or Scotland and technically, they won't be as good. But to go against Croatia, you get to see how different they play," Burns said. "The fitness levels up there is unbelievable. They can run for ages; it just shows the composure that you have to keep to play against the top teams.
"Playing against Italy and they were coming and breaking through, in a 2v1 from our corner, we were outnumbered coming down the field and one of our players ran from their six-yard box, I don't know how she did it, but she made a last ditch tackle."
Burns could dress for Northern Ireland's next 2017 UEFA Women's European Championships qualifier that is scheduled to be played against Georgia on June 3 and the Czech Republic on the 7th of June.
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