MCALLEN, Texas – Sometimes, even the most talented footballers suffer from self-doubt at some point.

Gabrielle Farrell admits that she, too, has been there, but her faith in God, coupled with the prayers of her Jamaican-born parents Paul, who is a pastor, and mother Juliet, did not allow her to give in to that nagging doubt.

Suffice it to say, that distinct advantage of being a preacher’s daughter is why Farrell, who attends Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, continues to pursue her dream in a sport she developed a passion for at a tender age.

A call-up to the senior Reggae Girlz team for the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifiers has now added impetus to Farrell’s pursuit, as she is now presented with an opportunity to, not only parade her skills on the international stage, but also to be among history makers.

“It was always a dream of mine to play professional, but for some reason, I always thought it was not possible or I’m not good enough, maybe I’m not there. But God has opened so many doors for me and I’m really blessed to have family and teammates and friends that support me and who believe in me and just having that belief in myself has been really big for me just knowing that God wouldn’t give me these opportunities if he didn’t think that I could do it,” Farrell told the Jamaica Observer.

She continued: “So, I’m really excited to be here and be with the girls, able to represent my family and Jamaica and everybody who’s supporting me. This opportunity makes me realise that I’ve been blessed with so many talents and abilities and I just want to continue playing this game and glorify God in how I play and how I represent this team.

“It has definitely given me belief in myself that I can play make an impact and I can help the team. So that’s definitely been big for me and just realising that I need to make the most of this opportunity and just enjoy it.”

Having worked her way up the ranks to this point, Farrell knows exactly what is required at this level and is ready and willing to leave it all on the park, as she continues to hone her skills as a striker.

“I know that none of this comes easily, so, I definitely worked myself and did the necessary training and everything that I need to do to make sure I stay at this level. So, I come in not taking anything for granted, I want to do the work and I want to help push my teammates and have them push me to be better,” Farrell noted.

Being a preacher’s daughter, Farrell, is what most people expect her to be off the field – humble, soft-spoken and cheerful, but whenever she is on the ball, a different personality comes to light.

“It’s a little bit…different from my actual personality and I like that, I like having that energy and that aggression and being competitive and not being settled with anything. I think that’s big for me, like, I’m never settled with the minimum and never settled with just being enough; I always want to be the best that I can be,” she reasoned.

The 22-year-old, who is one of two new players to the Reggae Girls setup, along with goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead, was optimistic about securing her first cap yesterday when the Girlz were scheduled to face Mexico in their Group B opener.

But whether she plays are not, she believes the team possesses enough talent and experience to execute what is required as they seek one of two spots to the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year.

“I’m really looking forward to it, I think we have a real shot with the talent on this team and the girls that just played in the World Cup and have experienced being on a stage like that, I think that’s really big for us. We have so many girls on the team that are technical and quick and super talented,” Farrell ended.