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Teenager McLean wants to be a Sunshine Girls mainstay
February 23, 2023
Teenager Roxanna McLean is honoured to represent Jamaica at the senior level, but the 19-year-old is not satisfied and is aiming at being a mainstay in the Sunshine Girls.
McLean, a sixth-former at Denbigh High in May Pen, debuted in the Sunshine Girls' 2-1 defeat to England Roses in January in England. The goalkeeper is embracing the challenge of making the national team, although being aware of the competition for places.
"It was a very great feeling and an exciting experience especially being the youngest player on the squad, I felt very much honoured. It is very challenging, but with my hard work, dedication and of course, having faith in God, my success was inevitable," she said while acknowledging that Jamaica's fourth-placed world ranking makes the standard of play high.
McLean believes that being committed to the national programme and receptive to the coaches' instructions are qualities needed to remain a staple for the Sunshine Girls.
"My preferred position is to be a goalkeeper. It's the only one I've played, but recently I've started to venture out into the goal defence. I'm naturally a defender as I've never played attack or shooter," McLean said.
She revealed that despite being almost covered with nervousness before starting her training with the Sunshine Girls, she felt a sense of calm after joining the other players.
"Before I started to train with them, I was very, very nervous but when I went there, they welcomed me with open arms and motivated me whenever I made any mistakes, whether it was in the open or one away (discreetly) and gave me some tips on how I could improve," McLean remarked.
The talented defender said her current mindset is to prepare for the upcoming Elite League, where she will showcase her talents for St Ann-based Orchids and then fine-tune preparations to make the World Cup squad.
