Captain Shaw adjusting to the role

In the absence of national defender and captain Konya Plummer, striker Khadija Shaw has been tasked to lead the team at the start of their 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign. While it has brought some adjustments, it has also brought a level of maturity in Shaw who she says she is more mindful of the impact she has on the team.

Jamaica are currently in second place in Group C of the first round. They won their first two games of the February window, defeating both Bermuda and Grenada by a combined scoreline of 10 goals to one. The Dominican Republic lead the group with a better goal difference although tied on points. The Reggae Girlz are two wins away from qualifying for the final round which begins in July in Mexico.

With Plummer missing from the window, head coach Vin Blaine said that Shaw getting the captain’s armband would be an option only if she was comfortable with the role and the responsibilities. She took that responsibility for the first two games, scoring four goals in that span.

Shaw says that in the Bermuda game, while she was frustrated with the officiating, she knew that she had to keep a level head for the team as she was already on a yellow card.

“I think five years ago ‘Bunny’ would have received a red card. But it comes with experience. I know that at the end of the day, I had to keep focused, keep my head. Because the team comes first. If I get kicked out of the game, we are playing with one less,” Shaw said. “I had that in mind and I knew what I had to do and I just stayed in the game.”

Her frustrations came as she was cautioned for a challenge that she deemed was fair and was also not given a penalty when she was fouled in the box by the Bermudan goalkeeper. Blaine says that she normally leads by example on the field but after the Grenada win where they felt they should have scored more goals, Shaw as well as a couple of the senior players spoke with Blaine about ways that they can get better.

While acknowledging that anyone could have been worthy of taking up the responsibility, Shaw says that her experience makes the transition easier and is proud to lead the team in their quest for back to back World Cup finals appearances.

“I been playing with the senior team since I was 19, so you are looking at six years. But anybody could have worn the armband. But somebody had to wear it and he (Blaine) choose me and it’s a privilege to represent and walk my team out and represent the country,” Shaw said.

Jamaica will face the Cayman Islands on April 9 before hosting the Dominican Republic in the final game of Group C on April 12.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com