Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, the standout striker for the Jamaica Reggae Girlz, has shared her journey from being a reluctant ahead to turning into probably the most prolific scorers for her membership and nation.
The 26-year-old, who plies her commerce with Manchester Metropolis Girls in England, has been in sensational kind, netting a formidable 9 targets within the Girls’s Tremendous League, together with outstanding hat-tricks in opposition to Tottenham and Everton in two of her final three matches.
Within the newest episode of the Our Manchester Metropolis podcast, Shaw revealed that she initially performed as an attacking midfielder and had reservations about transitioning to the ahead place throughout her school years in the USA.
Whereas finding out on the College of Tennessee, her coach, Brian Pensky, noticed her potential as a striker, a transfer that might show to be extremely rewarding. Shaw went on to attain 27 targets in 35 appearances for the Southeastern Convention (SEC) facet.
Midfielder from freshman to junior
“I used to be a midfielder from freshman to junior,” she defined. “However as I used to be going into my senior 12 months, the participant who performed as a striker acquired knowledgeable contract, so we didn’t have a striker.
“In the summertime of my senior 12 months, my coach mentioned, ‘Okay, we expect it’s worthwhile to play nearer to the aim,’ and I mentioned, ‘as an attacking midfielder, it looks like I’m already there.’ And he replied, ‘no, ahead.’”
Shaw continued, “I believed, ‘I’ve by no means performed there earlier than, I don’t suppose I’m the one for the job.’ After which he instructed me to not fear about it, that we’d work on it. Each day earlier than and after coaching, we’d concentrate on ending. In my sleep, I might take into consideration ending. That’s how a lot we labored on it.”
After her school years, Shaw launched into knowledgeable profession, beginning with Bordeaux in France in June 2019. In her first season on the membership, she scored a formidable 10 targets in 15 appearances earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-20 season.
Scoring a staggering 31 targets in 30 matches
Her second season in France was much more spectacular as she scored 24 targets in 21 appearances throughout all competitions. In June 2021, Shaw signed a three-year cope with Manchester Metropolis Girls, the place she continued her goal-scoring prowess.
Shaw set information along with her unimaginable efficiency through the 2022-23 season, scoring a staggering 31 targets in 30 matches. She subsequently signed a brand new deal that can maintain her on the membership till 2026.
Her outstanding achievements didn’t go unnoticed, as she was named Metropolis Girls’s Participant of the 12 months, and Concacaf additionally acknowledged her for her excellent goal-scoring capability and inspirational contributions on and off the pitch for Jamaica.
