REGGAE GIRL SHINES

CONCACAF said on Friday that Jamaica and Manchester City Forward, Khadija Shaw has been named the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year.

Shaw is the first Caribbean player to win CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year honors, CONCACAF said.

“The 26-year-old talismanic striker enjoyed another superb year in 2022,” it said. “Four years after helping Jamaica become the first ever Caribbean nation to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup, Shaw played a huge role in helping Jamaica qualify for their second straight Women’s World Cup.”

CONCACAF said Shaw led the Reggae Girlz to a third-place finish at the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship in Monterrey, Mexico, which punched their ticket to Australia/New Zealand 2023.

In the 2022 CWC, CONCACAF said Shaw scored three goals, including the game-winning score in the opening 1-0 win versus Mexico and a brace in the 4-0 victory against Haiti, which sealed Jamaica’s Women’s World Cup qualification.

2022-CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year Khadija Shaw.Photo courtesy CONCACAF

For her efforts, Shaw was named to the 2022 CWC Best XI, CONCACAF said.

It said Shaw was “just as lethal” in CWC Qualifying, amassing nine goals to help Jamaica top their group to then qualify for the CWC.

Shaw had braces versus Bermuda (4-0), Grenada (6-1) and the Dominican Republic (5-1), plus a hat trick versus Cayman Islands (9-0), CONCACAF said.

At club level with Manchester City in England, “Shaw was equally prolific,” CONCACAF said.

It said that, during the calendar year 2022, Shaw scored 15 goals in 19 Women’s Super League games, seven goals in eight domestic cup games (Women’s FA Cup and FA Women’s League Cup) and two goals in two UEFA Women’s Champions League games.

CONCACAF said Shaw’s three goals in the knockout stage helped Manchester City claim the 2021-22 FA Women’s League Cup.