Sophie Harding was at work on February 14 when she got a Valentine's Day gift like no other — a life-changing text.

It was from Matildas assistant coach Melissa Andreatta, asking Harding to call her.

When she is not playing in the A-league, the Western Sydney Wanderers striker works as a disability support worker.

"My clients know I play football, so I told them I was going to go outside to make a call," Harding told ABC sport.

As she sat on a kerb in pouring rain during a 10-hour shift, Andreatta broke the news to Harding that she was being called up to the Matildas camp for the first time.

The 24-year-old had missed out when the 23-player squad was named a week earlier, but was told to book her ticket to Dubai to train for the Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan after Cortnee Vine withdrew for personal reasons.

"I burst out laughing because I was shocked. Then I was teary," Sophie said.

Apart from telling her mum Tracy and Western Sydney coach Robbie Hooker, Harding had to contain her joy until the official announcement a day later.

Her mother was equally ecstatic and shocked.

"I burst out laughing too," Tracy Harding said.

"Sophie makes us proud all the time, but this is next level."

Bittersweet moment

Sophie's father Nick passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer in July 2021, and Tracy said receiving the news of their daughter's national call-up was "a bittersweet moment" for the close-knit family.

"Your first thoughts are 'if only he had lived to see this.' But I think he always knew," she said.

"When Sophie's dad passed, she used that emotion to push herself more," she added.

"She's worked hard and deserves this."

The Harding family migrated to Australia from England when Sophie was five years old, and she was already kicking a football.

"I've been playing since I was four, running around in a boys' team in England," she said.

According to Tracy, he was a "full-on soccer dad".

"You would see him on the sidelines, pushing her while I was the one reassuring her," she said.

Sophie said her dad remains her muse and she still channels him on the field.

"It's crazy, but mum and I have had so many signs that he's around watching," Sophie said.

"I still feel his presence, which is sometimes difficult, but I know that he would be jumping for joy."

Playing representative football from the age of 12, Sophie got her first break in the A-League Women in 2020 with Newcastle before joining the Wanderers two years later.

She sits equal third in the 2023/24 golden boot standings, with nine goals from 16 games this season, trailing leader and now-fellow Matilda Michelle Heyman by three.

A spot in the Olympics

Australia plays a two-legged clash against Uzbekistan for a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, with the first match taking place on February 24th in Tashkent and the second in Melbourne on February 28th.