From midfield to mastery: Bunny Shaw’s remarkable evolution as a goal-scoring

Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, the standout striker for the Jamaica Reggae Girlz, has shared her journey from being a reluctant forward to becoming one of the most prolific scorers for her club and country.

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The 26-year-old, who plies her trade with Manchester City Women in England, has been in sensational form, netting an impressive nine goals in the Women’s Super League, including remarkable hat-tricks against Tottenham and Everton in two of her last three matches.

In the latest episode of the Our Manchester City podcast, Shaw revealed that she initially played as an attacking midfielder and had reservations about transitioning to the forward position during her college years in the United States.

While studying at the University of Tennessee, her coach, Brian Pensky, saw her potential as a striker, a move that would prove to be incredibly rewarding. Shaw went on to score 27 goals in 35 appearances for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) side.

Midfielder from freshman to junior

“I was a midfielder from freshman to junior,” she explained. “But as I was going into my senior year, the player who played as a striker got a professional contract, so we didn’t have a striker.

“In the summer of my senior year, my coach said, ‘Okay, we think you need to play closer to the goal,’ and I said, ‘as an attacking midfielder, it feels like I’m already there.’ And he replied, ‘no, forward.'”

Shaw continued, “I thought, ‘I’ve never played there before, I don’t think I’m the one for the job.’ And then he told me not to worry about it, that we’d work on it. Every day before and after training, we’d focus on finishing. In my sleep, I would think about finishing. That’s how much we worked on it.”

After her college years, Shaw embarked on a professional career, starting with Bordeaux in France in June 2019. In her first season at the club, she scored an impressive 10 goals in 15 appearances before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-20 season.

Scoring a staggering 31 goals in 30 matches

Her second season in France was even more spectacular as she scored 24 goals in 21 appearances across all competitions. In June 2021, Shaw signed a three-year deal with Manchester City Women, where she continued her goal-scoring prowess.

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Shaw set records with her incredible performance during the 2022-23 season, scoring a staggering 31 goals in 30 matches. She subsequently signed a new deal that will keep her at the club until 2026.

Her remarkable achievements did not go unnoticed, as she was named City Women’s Player of the Year, and Concacaf also recognized her for her outstanding goal-scoring ability and inspirational contributions on and off the pitch for Jamaica.