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“She celebrated as if she had won the Champions League,” remarked England coach Sarina Wiegman with a grin.

For Lucia Kendall, the feeling was remarkably similar.

Wiegman was recalling the moment the Aston Villa midfielder raced away into the corner after scoring her first Lionesses goal – early in a triumph over Ghana at St Mary's Stadium.

“I think the pitch needs some attention after that!” she quipped, in reference to Kendall’s immaculate knee slide.

As the 21-year-old rose, puffing out her cheeks and mobbed by her team-mates, a beaming smile lit up her face.

A Fairytale Homecoming

Having been “a staple” of Southampton for a decade, where she came up through the youth ranks to play over a century of games, her summer switch to Villa was a big step.

Consequently, netting at her old stomping ground in only her third game for England was an magical moment.

“To do it here, where I was raised, was an immensely special moment. This place shaped the player I am,” Kendall remarked.

“It felt like it was written [in the stars]. It was so special. I got flooded with emotion really.”

A Rapid Rise to Prominence

Southampton laid the groundwork, yet a formative decision made when she was 15 shaped her destiny.

Despite being a talented cricketer (her father played for Hampshire), the looming demands of senior football at Southampton forced her hand. She selected football.

“It was a tough call. I simply couldn't manage both,” Kendall said in a October media conference.

“I loved playing cricket growing up. It was a really difficult decision. I went back and forth, but when the time came, I realised I enjoy football a bit more.”

A Chelsea supporter, her childhood hero was the prolific England midfielder Frank Lampard, and Kendall’s early career is following that goalscoring trend.

Her ability to handle first-team football alongside a psychology degree was evidence of the drive and commitment required for the top level.

Southampton kept their prized asset for the maximum time, but upon her contract expiry, Villa secured her signature to the WSL.

In a matter of months, Kendall has quickly risen, securing a starting spot in the WSL and a call-up to the national team.

“Maintaining her level immediately in a new league and club is difficult, yet she has done so,” noted Wiegman.

“The pace of her rise has been breathtaking, yet she maintains her performance standard, proving her quality impressively.”

Kendall certainly enjoyed herself at St Mary's, hitting the crossbar later in the first half and almost setting up Villa team-mate Missy Bo Kearns for a goal, before Alessia Russo added a second with an injury-time penalty.

She was substituted after an hour to a cheer from the home crowd and the enthusiastic voice of the stadium announcer boasting that she was “Southampton's very own”.

With 29 Southampton goals to her name, she noted, “The faith and consistent playing time I received from 16 was crucial.

“It was the consistent trust they showed in me as a player and the belief. I felt like I was ready for [the next step].

“I knew that I had to go in [to England] and prove why I should be playing at this level. The speed of the game is quicker and it was like going up a division.”

‘Technically and Tactically, She Is a Very Strong Midfielder’

At the highest level, she has appeared comfortable, described as a gifted midfielder who “gets it”.

While mindful of protecting her young star, Wiegman is confident due to Kendall’s humble and focused attitude.

Days after being called up by the Lionesses for the first time, Kendall was addressing the media saying she was eager to impress, but also understood the need for the team's greater good and whatever role she needed to play in that.

According to Russo, Kendall’s integration was so smooth it seemed she’d been part of the group for ages.

“{This team's just gone on to win back-to