Stephanie Roche

Stephanie Roche (born 13 June 1989) is an Irish footballer who plays as a striker in the Republic of Ireland for Peamount United and the Republic of Ireland women's national football team. Her October 2013 goal in the Women's National League (WNL) for Peamount United was the runner-up for the 2014 FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year.

Stephanie Roche
Roche with Republic of Ireland in 2015
Personal information
Full name Stephanie Roche
Date of birth (1989-06-13) 13 June 1989
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Peamount United
Youth career
Valeview Shankill FC
Cabinteely Girls
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 Stella Maris
2007–2009 Dundalk City
2009–2011 Raheny United
2011–2014 Peamount United (71)
2014 ASPTT Albi 10 (1)
2015 Houston Dash 2 (0)
2015–2018 Sunderland Ladies 26 (2)
2018–2020 C.F. Florentia 10 (0)
2020- Peamount United 1 (4)
National team‡
2008– Republic of Ireland 55[1] (13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 July 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 May 2020

Early life

Roche began playing football with the boys on the streets of her native Shankill. After a brief spell with Valeview Shankill FC was curtailed by rules against mixed-gender football, Roche turned out for Cabinteely Girls.[2] She progressed to playing for Stella Maris, where she struck up a forward partnership with Áine O'Gorman in the club's Under-18 team.[3]

Roche was awarded an FAI scholarship to Sallynoggin College.[4] She was named in an Irish Colleges team which travelled to Scotland for two friendlies in April 2009.[5]

Club career

In June 2007, Roche moved to Dundalk City and reportedly enjoyed a "dream debut", scoring twice in a 5–2 win over Benfica.[6] After moving on to Raheny United, Roche went on trial with English FA WSL club Doncaster Rovers Belles in February 2011, playing in a 4–0 friendly win over Blackburn Rovers.[7]

In the inaugural 2011–12 Women's National League season, Roche won the Golden Boot by scoring 26 goals for champions Peamount United.[8] She also scored the winner in the Cup final to secure a double.[9] In August 2011, Roche played for Peamount United in the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League.[10]

Roche scored an acclaimed goal for Peamount against Wexford Youths in October 2013 which went viral on YouTube and brought her international attention.[11][12] It was her first goal of the WNL season and was uploaded to the internet by team manager Eileen Gleeson as the matches are not televised.[13] Roche was glad it was captured for posterity: "It's just good for us now to get that on camera, it gives the Women's National League a bit of publicity as well as girls' football in Ireland, and I'm happy to be a part of that as well."[14] Later that year she was shortlisted for the 2014 FIFA Puskás Award, for the best goal of the year.[15][16] She was the only female player to be nominated. Following an initial public vote, Roche's goal was nominated as one of three finalists, alongside James Rodriguez and Robin van Persie, who had both scored their nominated goals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[17] She is the sixth female player to be nominated for the award, and the first to rank among the finalists. At the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on 12 January 2015, Roche finished in second place[18] for the FIFA Puskas Award with 33% of the vote.[19][20]

After the extensive coverage her goal received, Roche said: "It was a great time for me, the coverage I got was a little bit crazy, I didn't expect to get half as much as I did, but I was really happy."

In June 2014, Roche signed for newly promoted Division 1 Féminine team ASPTT Albi.[21] She failed to settle in France, scoring once in ten appearances before quitting the club amidst the FIFA Puskas Award publicity.

On 18 February 2015 Roche signed with the Houston Dash.[22] Dash coach Randy Waldrum hailed Roche as: "possibly the best goalscorer to come out of Ireland since Olivia O'Toole".[23] After making only 2 pre-season appearances as well as 1 in the league, Roche was waived by the Houston Dash on 20 May 2015.[24]

Roche signed a two-year deal for FA WSL club Sunderland A.F.C. Ladies on 17 June 2015.[25] She sustained a broken leg while on international duty in September 2017 and was released from her Sunderland contract in Summer 2018.

She agreed a transfer to Italian Serie A club C.F. Florentia in November 2018.[26] After starting her career in Serie A as a regular, she soon found herself out of favour and was released in early 2020.

In spite of the challenge that a return to the English WSL would have represented (where international colleagues such as Megan Campbell, Katie McCabe and Louise Quinn were plying their trade), Roche decided to return to the amateur ranks of the Irish WNL with Peamount United at the age of 30.

Roche helped Peamount to a domestic double in the 2020 season, which included scoring 2 goals against Cork City in the cup final. Her return to form is expected to garner interest from potential suitors cross channel.

International career

Roche represented the Republic of Ireland at the youth level, saying: "I just missed out in the final trials for Ireland under 15s and I was really heartbroken. But then I made the team at under 17s."[2] In August 2005, she scored the winning goal during her Ireland under-19 debut resulting in a 3–2 win over Finland at Richmond Park.[27] In three seasons at the under-19 level, Roche remained a regular pick and was the team's top–goalscorer.[28]

Roche's senior international debut came in a 3–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying play–off defeat to Iceland in October 2008.[29] She replaced Stef Curtis for the last five minutes of the match at Laugardalsvöllur.[30] In September 2009, Roche scored her first senior goal—a late winner in the 2–1 World Cup qualifying win over Kazakhstan at Turners Cross.[31] In the following month's return fixture, Roche made her first start for the Irish senior team. She scored again, the equaliser in another 2–1 win for Ireland.[32] Roche scored her third goal for Ireland during a home friendly defeat to France in March 2010. Despite her equaliser, a controversial penalty from Sonia Bompastor and a late winner from Marie-Laure Delie gave the French victory.[33]

National coach Susan Ronan dropped Roche from the squad for a friendly with Austria in June 2013 and the subsequent 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers. This left her disappointed but keen to win back her place: "I was dropped against Austria and wasn't told why or what the story was. I've played for the last few years so it hurt me to be let go while not knowing what was happening so I'd love to get back in again."[34] After Roche re-discovered her goal-scoring form at the club level, Ronan re-called her in October 2013.[35]

In June 2016 Roche scored a hat-trick in Ireland's 9–0 win over Montenegro.[36]

Roche's last appearance for the national side came in November 2019, in a 1-1 draw away to Greece. She has since fallen out of favour with head coach Vera Pauw.

International goals
Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentResultCompetitionScored
124 September 2009Turners Cross, Cork Kazakhstan2–12011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual.1
229 October 2009Zhetysu Stadium, Taldykorgan Kazakhstan2–12011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual.1
325 February 2010Richmond Park, Dublin France1–2Friendly1
410 March 2014Tasos Markou, Paralimni  Switzerland2–12014 Cyprus Cup1
55 April 2014Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Germany2–32015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual.1
613 September 2014NTC Senec, Senec Slovakia1–02015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual.1
711 March 2015Valbruna, Rovinj Costa Rica2–12015 Istria Cup1
87 April 2016Stadion pod Malim brdom, Petrovac Montenegro5–02017 UEFA Women's Championship Qual.1
93 June 2016Tehtaan kenttä, Valkeakoski Finland1–42017 UEFA Women's Championship Qual.1
127 June 2016Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Montenegro9–02017 UEFA Women's Championship Qual.3

Personal life

Roche is in a relationship with footballer Dean Zambra.[37] She was an intern on the Football Association of Ireland's (FAI) Futsal project.[38]

References
  1. "FAIreland". www.facebook.com.
  2. Jimmy C Duggan. "Stephanie Roche". Shankhill FC. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  3. Patrick Mullen (9 August 2006). "Soccer: City Slickers destroy Town girls cup dreams". Western People. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  4. John Hudson (27 October 2008). "CUFL: Facilitators, scholarships and website launched". Herald.ie. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  5. "Irish Combined Colleges Squad travels to Scotland". Women's Soccer Colleges Association of Ireland. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  6. "Impressive win for City girls". The Argus. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  7. "Precious at the Double". Doncaster Rovers Belles. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  8. Farrell, Niall (16 June 2012). "Roche hopes for big step toward Euros". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  9. Dowling, Paul (25 May 2012). "Keeping family loyalty at Bray; BRAY W v SHELBOURNE, 7.45". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  10. "Stephanie Roche". UEFA. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  11. "Today on YouTube: Stephanie Roche scores goal of the season contender for Peamount United". The Daily Telegraph. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  12. Kelly, Rory (21 October 2013). "Stephanie Roche Goal – The World Reacts – Passes 1 million views". ExtraTime.ie. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  13. "Stephanie Roche talks us through her wonder strike". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  14. Fitzgerald, Brian (21 October 2013). "Roche overwhelmed by reaction to super strike". ExtraTime.ie. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  15. http://shekicks.net/news/view/10878
  16. "Ireland's Stephanie Roche nominated for Fifa's goal of the year prize". The Score. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  17. "Stephanie Roche is through to the final three of this year's FIFA Puskas Award". The Score. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  18. "Stephanie Roche misses out on Puskas Award but scores red carpet hit at the FIFA Ballon D'Or ceremony". evoke.ie. 12 January 2015.
  19. "James Rodríguez wins beauty stakes but Stephanie Roche runs him close". Guardian. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  20. "She caught the attention of two world superstars and Stephanie Roche can't wait to frame THAT photograph". evoke.ie. 18 February 2015.
  21. "Féminines (D1) – Cinq premières recrues pour l'ASPTT Albi". Footypy.fr (in French). 24 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  22. "Houston Dash sign Irish international forward Stephanie Roche". 18 February 2015.
  23. Keville, Ger (18 February 2015). "Stephanie Roche interview: I rushed into French move but USA is right for me". Irish Independent. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  24. Keville, Ger; Whooley, Declan (20 May 2015). "Stephanie Roche on Houston release: I'm shocked and disappointed; I didn't see it coming". Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  25. "Fifa Puskas award runner-up Stephanie Roche joins Sunderland Ladies". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  26. "Stephanie Roche signs for Serie A side Florentia". Irish Examiner. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  27. "Ireland V Finland Womens Friendlies". FemaleSoccer.net. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  28. "Stephanie Roche". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  29. "Senior Women Player Profiles". Football Association of Ireland. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  30. "Iceland 3–0 Ireland". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  31. "Super sub Roche strikes late". Irish Independent. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  32. "Kazakhstan 1–2 Republic of Ireland". RTÉ. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  33. "Republic Gift France Late Winner". She Kicks. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  34. Blake, Ben (21 October 2013). "Internet sensation Roche bowled over by worldwide response to her wonder goal". The Score. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  35. "Stephanie Roche call-up for Women's World Cup qualifier". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  36. Duffy, Emma (7 June 2016). "Hat-tricks for Stephanie Roche and Áine O'Gorman as Ireland put 9 past Montenegro". The42.ie. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  37. Fallon, John (22 October 2013). "Roche's rocket gets star praise to send internet into overdrive". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  38. O'Brien, John (27 October 2013). "YouTube sensation sees women's game basking in limelight". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
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