Shaw brace seals Reggae Girlz 3-0 win over South Africa
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Jamaica’s captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw scored a second half brace in her first appearance for the Reggae Girlz in over a year to lead them to a 3-0 win over South Africa in the first of two friendly internationals played at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday.
Siobhan Wilson scored her first goal for the national senior team to give the Jamaicans the lead in the first half and Shaw showed off her pedigree with two well taken goals in the second half as Jamaica won for the first time since beating Panama in the FIFA World Cup in Australia in July 2023.
The double took Shaw’s tally of international goals for Jamaica to 57 all time.
It was a satisfying performance for coach Hubert Busby Jnr and his staff as they looked forward to the start of World Cup qualifying and also qualification for the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup.
Siobhan Wilson (left) celebrates her first goal for Jamaica with teammate Jade Bailey in Jamaica’s 3-0 win over South Africa at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday, November 29, 2024. (Photo: Paul Reid)
A fair sized crowd was on hand to see the Jamaicans take over the game early and they surgeg into the lead in the 29th minute when Wilson’s corner curled into the net through a crowd of players.
Shaw just missed adding a second after she rounded South Africa’s goalkeeper Dlamini and shot at the open goal from just inside the 18 yards box but watched as the ball hit the left upright and go into touch.
However, the Manchester City star made the score 2-0 in the 55th minute finishing off a brilliant team move. Atlanta Primus played the ball on the right to Jody Brown who got by two defenders on the goal line and crossed the ball to Shaw to slot in from three yards out.
Dlamini pulled off one of two good saves, intercepting a cross from Primus in the 76th minute with Shaw waiting in the box to pounce.
Shaw would eventually get her second in the 83rd minute, when she dribbled through the South African defense and shot the ball under the diving South African goalkeeper.
-Paul A Reid
