A big leap forward by stepping back
When the national football coach describes you as an "all-round player who reads the game well" then goes on to extol your virtues as "a good talker, strong in the air, a good header of the ball" and someone who "has great technique and is a good passer as well" it is no wonder others are beginning to really take notice.
The fact that Anna Signeul has said all those things about a teenager who has only just broken into the Scotland first team set-up is even more impressive.
Rachel Corsie, a second-year accounting and finance student at Robert Gordon University, is a former Scotland U19 captain. But she was only included in her first squad session for the senior squad in January after key players retired following the unsuccessful tilt at qualification for the European Championships. A midfielder for most of her fledgling career, Signeul played her at centre half in a bounce match and was so impressed by her assured performance that she was selected to start there when Scotland competed in the Cyprus Cup last month.
"I did feel a bit of pressure to do well in Cyprus because it was my first time playing for the A team but I really enjoyed it and have been named in the squad again for this week's match against Italy," says the 19-year-old Aberdonian. "I can't believe how well things have gone for me in the last year.
"When I was younger, I remember watching the women's team play and I never thought I would be playing for them one day but then as I started to improve as a player and played for the u-19s, it became something for me to aim for and it was a great feeling to get those games and I think I did quite well."
The Glasgow City player actually exceeded expectations. One of only a few players to play every minute of the four matches in the tournament, against highly ranked nations France, South Africa, England and Russia, she seems to have cemented her place as a starter for this Wednesday's challenge match at Rugby Park.
"I wasn't really nervous about playing, I was looking forward to the games and that maybe helped. The way I look at it, every player wants to play against the best players and France are ranked highly."
And she had no qualms about facing them in a defensive position that is still relatively fresh to her.
"Playing centre back is still quite a new thing for me. I played for Aberdeen until the start of this season and I was a right midfielder there, so, although I have played in that position this season, to be playing there against such big teams was a test. But I now feel comfortable there."
She has emerged into the Scotland squad at a time when the women's game in the country is taking huge strides domestically, as well as on the international stage. The fact they have continued to move up the world rankings, and only missed out on qualifying for a major championships for the first time due to the away goals rule, gives them hope that they can push for a place at the 2010 World Cup. The qualifiers begin later this year and Corsie is buoyant about the opportunity to create history.
"I think as a nation we have earned a lot more respect from other countries who now know that we are competitive and I think we will keep improving. We are in a tough group but there are a lot of points to play for and if we play well then we could have a chance."
Italy are the latest warm-up act, with Northern Ireland providing the friendly opposition in May. But then the real action begins, with Greece in the opening group game, in October. The outcome of that adventure may still be unknown but if the glowing references already earned by Corsie are anything to go by, the likely quality of her input is not.
Article by Moira Gordon, re-produced with the permission of the Scotland on Sunday 05.04.09
