A PENRHYNDEUDRAETH teenager is jetting out to Armenia this week after being selected to play for Wales.

Eighteen-year-old Shannon Dukes from Penrhyndeudraeth, who is a full-time A-level student at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Pwllheli campus, has been picked for the Wales Women’s U19 squad which will take on Belgium, Iceland and Armenia in the UEFA Women’s U19 qualifying round tournament, hoping to reach the next year’s UEFA European Women’s U19 Championship finals.

Only months after Spain retained the UEFA European Women’s U19 Championship in Switzerland, qualifying will begin next week for the 2019 finals in Scotland.

Shannon plays in the left-back position for Wales’ U19 football squad as well as for Everton’s Over-16s development side, which is just one level below its first team.

The squad also includes ex-Coleg Menai student, Cassia Pike, 17, from Porthmadog, who plays for Liverpool FC Women.

Before flying out, Shannon said: “It’s always an honour to be selected for Wales and I’m excited to be going to Armenia with the under 19s.

“We’re hopefully looking to qualify to the next round, but we have got a quite difficult group with games against Belgium and Iceland.”

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