Wisconsin Soccer Central

The Republic of Ireland women's national team has never qualified for a major tournament. If Shannon Smyth (Mequon/Milwaukee DSHA) and the Irish are going to end that streak by earning a spot in next year's FIFA Women's World Cup, their next two matches in UEFA qualifying – both against Russia – likely will loom large.

The teams, both looking to claim a playoff spot by finishing second in Group 1 behind a dominant Germany side, meet Wednesday night at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin and again June 19 in Russia.

“This is arguably the most important match at home for us,” Smyth told the Football Association of Ireland website. Read full article "The goal is to get second place and put ourselves in a good position for a play-off. That means we go toe-to-toe with Russia."

The Russians (3-1-0), 21st in the latest FIFA Women's World Rankings, are second in the six-team qualifying group with nine points, two ahead of the Irish (2-1-1). Both teams are well behind runaway leader Germany (7-0-0), which has outscored opponents 47-2 – both goals were by Ireland in a 3-2 loss on April 5 in which the second-ranked Germans scored the game-winner in second-half stoppage time.

The 26-year-old Smyth, who is in her fourth season with Amazon Grimstad in Norway's Toppserien, said that while the late loss to Germany was tough to get over, it also showed the team that it could play with the world's top teams.

"It did take a while to get over it," said Smyth, whose team moved up three spots into a tie for No. 30 in the world rankings. "I didn't go and watch the video for a week or so. I think all the girls were a little bit devastated, because it would have been a major moment for us. But at the same time, it gave us all a little bit of confidence, so we will build on that and move forward.

"We made them work for it. We were very well organized, very determined, very disciplined. It was a lot of work, but it was also fun. It is something to build on and has given us a lot of confidence that our tactics work and we have great chemistry."

The seven group winners in UEFA qualifying will earn berths in next year's Women's World Cup in Canada, while the top four runners-up will play off in October and November for the final spot. Smyth has 29 career caps for the Republic of Ireland and has scored one international goal.

On Twitter: @ShannonSmyth