Brown off to fine start at FSU

National senior women's coach Hubert Busby Jr and Under 20-coach Xavier Gilbert are pleased at how young national striker Jody Brown has settled in at university.

The 18-year-old Brown scored in her collegiate debut for Florida State University (FSU) on September 17 in a 5-0 win over the University of Notre Dame. She came on as a second-half substitute and opened her account in the 79th minute, outmuscling the Notre Dame defender before slotting home from close range.

Busby said that while he had no worries that she would succeed on the field, he was more focused on how she would adjust to her new environment.

Biggest key

"The biggest key was going to be settling into school and how she did socially. The footballing side, we always knew that it was going to take care of itself but making sure she is settled in academically, settling in socially," Busby told STAR Sports.

"All those who have invested in her and have helped her to get to where she needs to be, those were the things that we all wanted to see happen first, and I'm pleased to know that's where she is thriving."

March 4 was the last time that Brown played a competitive fixture when she represented the Under-20 national team in the quarter-finals of the Under-20 Concacaf Women's Championship tournament, the regional qualifying competition for the Under-20 World Cup. The young Reggae Girlz were beaten 2-1 by tournament hosts the Dominican Republic.

Gilbert, who coached her during the campaign, said that he was not surprised at how quickly she opened her account at the college level, but says that she would have to make adjustments to adapt to the collegiate game.

"The reality is that at this point in time she is going to be competing against some stronger individuals so her strength work has to improve," Gilbert said. "And that is where I hope that she will get stronger and, hopefully, she will dominate at the collegiate level."

After two wins against Notre Dame and the University of Louisville, FSU are currently ranked second in the United States according to the first national poll released on September 22. FSU will face Virginia Tech University on October 1 before playing Wake Forest three days later.