On Friday night at Kingston’s National Stadium, Jamaica’s senior women’s national football team, the Reggae Girlz, delivered a dominant 4-0 victory over Antigua and Barbuda in their Group B Concacaf W Qualifiers fixture, leaving head coach Hubert Busby pleased but hungry for more from his squad. The win stretched Jamaica’s perfect start to the qualifying campaign to three matches, putting them top of Group B with nine maximum points, as they close in on a spot in the next round of the tournament. The entire performance was anchored by captain Khadija Shaw, who turned in a world-class display to bag a three-goal hat-trick, with a late penalty from Deneisha Blackwood wrapping up the dominant scoreline. From the opening kickoff, Jamaica controlled every phase of the game, firing a staggering 36 shots total, 14 of which landed on target. The hosts came close to breaking the deadlock repeatedly in the first 25 minutes, hitting the opposition crossbar six times – two of those efforts from Kalyssa Van Zanten – and saw a close-range attempt from Shaw turned away by Antigua and Barbuda goalkeeper Anik Jarvis in the 18th minute. The game’s first goal finally arrived in first-half stoppage time, after Atlanta Primus was fouled in the penalty box by Kai Jacobs. Shaw stepped up to calmly convert the spot kick, handing Jamaica a 1-0 lead going into the halftime break. Shaw doubled her side’s advantage just four minutes into the second half, turning her marker before slotting home from close range, then completed her hat-trick six minutes later with a powerful diving header. Both of the second-half strikes were set up by assists from Van Zanten. The treble pushed Shaw’s career international goal tally to an impressive 65 goals in just 47 appearances for Jamaica. Blackwood put the finishing touches on the result in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, converting another late penalty to seal the 4-0 win, bringing her own international goal total to 11 for the Reggae Girlz. Speaking after the final whistle, Busby highlighted the exceptional leadership and quality of his star captain, praising the frontwoman for not just her clinical finishing but her ability to lead the team from the front. “The best striker in the world plays for us, and she was able to take us over the line — not just that, but how she led from the front,” Busby told reporters. He also reserved special praise for the work of Atlanta Primus in the middle of the park, calling her performance “unbelievable.” Busby explained that the team’s game plan was designed to take the game to the opposition on home turf, a strategy that allowed his side to stay on the front foot and create a flood of scoring chances. While he acknowledged that some chances were wasted, he praised the squad for their overall game management and resilience. He highlighted the impact of second-half substitutions, noting that bringing on experienced midfielder Drew Spence to partner Primus added more control and guile to unlock the Antigua and Barbuda defense. He also credited the introduction of Amelia “Mimi” Van Zanten for strengthening the side’s performance. Busby pointed out that the team showed considerable mental and physical grit in the closing stages, when they were forced to play with 10 players for the final 15 minutes. Even with a numerical disadvantage, the Reggae Girlz managed the game well, created further chances and earned the late penalty that Blackwood converted. “I mean, hitting the crossbar six times and of course not hitting the back of the net [was unfortunate] but I keep on saying, that’s football. The last 15 minutes we were playing with 10 men and we managed the game, created opportunities, got a penalty kick, and so again it shows the resiliency of the group,” he said. The head coach added that leadership is spread throughout the entire squad, pointing to experienced players like Primus – a captain at Southampton – Drew Spence, who has hundreds of club appearances to her name, defender Allyson Swaby and goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer as key examples of that depth. He emphasized that Friday’s result was a full collective effort, from the starting XI to the substitute players who impacted the game after coming on. Busby stressed that this kind of full-squad contribution will be critical if Jamaica is to qualify for the upcoming Women’s World Cup and compete successfully at the tournament. “It is a total team performance. We talked about our starters, our finishers, and obviously those who came on obviously impacted the game but also took the game over the line. That’s what it’s going to take, it’s going to take an entire team effort of 23 to 26 players for us to get to this World Cup and be successful,” he said. In the Group B standings, Jamaica sit comfortably on top with nine points from three matches, ahead of Nicaragua and Guyana, who both hold six points. Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are yet to pick up a single point, with Dominica having played two fewer matches than Jamaica. The Reggae Girlz will return to the National Stadium tomorrow for their next qualifying fixture, where they will face Guyana in a 7:00 pm kickoff. Only the group winner will advance to the next stage of qualifying, the Concacaf W Championship, making the upcoming clash a critical fixture for Jamaica’s World Cup aspirations.