Jamie Erickson has made a significant contribution for Galway WFC in the WNL this season.
A nine match unbeaten run has been stitched together with defender Erickson emerging as a key performer for Alan Murphy's developing team.
Since arriving in March, the former Canada Universities international, has delivered consistently for Galway.
"It is nice, I think I got a little lucky, some of the other girls were unfortunate with injuries and illness, but I benefited from that right from the get go," Erickson says. "I'm doing what I can to help the club.
"The standard is really good, I have been impressed by it. Week in, week out you can see how there isn't any easy games. Every club is competitive, every club is pushing.
"On any given day the results can go either way. For me I have been super impressed and super grateful for the opportunity here."
So how did the Irish move happen for Erickson?"A few people I knew back home knew a few people over here, the stars aligned," she says. "I got in touch in with Billy and Alan Murphy, it seemed Galway was a good fit. I packed up to move over here in March.
"It is also an adventure, moving to a different country that I had never been to. I had never been to Ireland before I got here, it is beautiful here.
"There is so much to see and explore in the off time. There is definitely a mix, the soccer is great, but the adventure too."
Initially, though, Erickson encountered some bother. "I'll be honest, at first I didn't really expect the different accent here would be as much of a struggle," she laughs.
"For the first week or so I had no idea what anyone was saying. That was a bit tough to settle in. The soccer definitely helps, it is the same objective no matter where you are in the world."
With a nice blend of experienced and emerging players, Erickson is delighted to be involved.
"Even though some of the girls are maybe younger than me - Therese [Kinnevey] and Kate [Thompson] - there is something to learn from everybody," Erickson says. "They show up to training week in, week out, just trying to push the standard and each other, it is great."
**Listen to the full interview with Galway WFC defender Jamie Erickson on this week's 'Cian on Sport' podcast available on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
