With two-thirds of the 2024-25 season disappeared in the Super League for Women, and only seven more games to play, the race for the Golden Boot was really warmed up.
With a total of 252 goals so far scored in the competition, much more are expected when all 12 teams play in a full map of luminaires on Sunday.
It has been a target party and it is not surprising, the Khadija 'Bunny' from Manchester City has been prominent for the goal.
Shaw finally received the Golden Boot last season after chasing the elusive honor and abuse in the previous campaign. It was Rachel Daly from Aston Villa, who surprised the competition in 2022-23 and scored 22 goals to Shaw's 20.
The international of Jamaica ensured that there was no doubt last season, and the city won a remarkable 21 goals in just 18 WSL performances, with eight goals more than the chase package with Elisabeth Terland (13), Lauren James (13) and Alessia Russo (12).
It has been a case of mixed fortunes for some of the larger names of the competition, where two -time winner Sam Kerr is unable to play almost the entire season because of a long -term knee injury and Vivianne Miedema who has now found her shape after exchanging Arsenal for Stad.
In the meantime, Shaw has been able to continue where she had gone this season despite the fact that she had to overcome a long -term dismissal of injuries.
So, what is the race to be called WSL top scorer so far, and who should we look at as the most likely candidate to deduct Shaw?
Or is Shaw just too productive to stop because she wants to win the prize for a second consecutive year, something that was only achieved by teammate Miedema and Chelsea Foe, Kerr.
Khadija Shaw – 11 goals
Since he came to Man City in 2021, Shaw has been nothing less than productive. The talented striker has the scoring record of all time for the club, with 81 goals in all competitions.
Despite the fact that he left the winter break in December, Shaw still leads the score cards with 11 goals from 12 games, with her total from only 799 minutes.
Shaw has had 82 touches in the opposition box and has scored all 11 goals from the area. She is a complete threat, who scored five with her head, four with her right foot and two with her left – the number of air efforts means that she has the most head goals this period by a player in the WSL.
Shaw has considerably surpassed her 6.74 expected goals (XG) with 4.26, and in particular, compared to many of the most important top scorer races in both women's and men's games, are none of her 11 goals of the penalty spot. She has generally had 46 shots, with 20 on goal and has a shot conversion rate of 23.91%.
She has the best minutes per goal among her direct competitors at 72.64. However, her goal total can be even higher, because she has missed five of the great opportunities that have gone her way between sufficient opportunities.
Shaw has also offered one assist, with its 12 total targeted involvement as the joint best total in the competition (level with Mary Fowler). The link between her and the Australian has been exceptional for City in recent weeks, and they remain one of the best attacking teams, despite a shaky recent form.
With Fowler and Miedema among the players who take care of Shaw, you would not bet she would win the prize again, and she will try to extend her leadership to Tottenham this weekend.
Alessia Russo – Eight goals
Russo has a Renaissance under new manager Renee Slees and flourished under her style in Arsenal.
Russo is only three goals behind Shaw with eight of 14 games, and a home game against a West Ham team that is in the lower half of the league table below, can get her chance.
The Gunners striker played for 1,101 minutes and has performed her XG (6.13) better, but only with 1.87.
All eight of her goals came out of the box and score the most with her right foot (five), while they get two with her left and one header. Only one of her goals comes from 12 yards (XG excluding pens – 5.4).
Compared to her city rival, Russo has had more shots than Shaw (48) and more on Target (23), but has a much lower shot conversion at 16.67%. Russo has also had more accents than Shaw (563 to 357), with 111 of those in the opposition box.
She is on average a goal every 137.63 minutes and has offered two assists. RUSSO is in fourth place for WSL target contributions (10) this period.
With games that are still coming against Everton, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and former Club Manchester United, she may be sure to give Shaw an point for her money, while building her form for a crucial Eurocampagne for England in Switzerland in July.
Elisabeth Terland – Seven goals
With talent that left Man Utd last summer, Marc Skinner did a number of Canny business while he insured Terland's services on a free transfer.
After 15 goals scored in 28 games in all competitions last season for the Seagulls, she has proved crucial in the United campaign.
Terland opened her United account in October against Spurs and scored a brace. She has the third best XG among players in the WSL (6.08 beter than 0.92). She also did not score spot kicks.
She has had 45 shots, and less on goal than the top two (17), while her shot conversion is also the lowest at 15.56%. Terland is also in the first place for great opportunities missed 10 and can restore its missed opportunities this season.
Just like Shaw and Russo, all the goals of Terland have been scored from the box, but her finishes are split more evenly – three on her right foot, two on her left and two headers. She is on average a goal every 150.14 minutes.
Terland has also delivered four assists, more than the top two goal scorers. She is in third place for target contributions with 11, behind the unstoppable Man City Duo of Shaw and Fowler.
The chase package
There are some other remarkable striking players whose performance and goals do not have to go without mention and who are still at a moving distance from Shaw to set up their own challenge for the Golden Boot.
This season Bethany England has again proven why she should be considered one of the best strikers to adorn the WSL.
She also has seven goals for the season (scoring from 4.98 xg) and is in line with the WSL target record of all time. Already this year she has protected the remarkable performance to become the first player who scored against each WSL team.
Since the founding of the competition in 2011, 19 clubs have played in the competition, with England scored a brace against Crystal Palace in January to earn her piece of history.
England (81) is only four behind Miedema (85) as the record of WSL goalkeeper, but with the Dutch woman also back in shape, she makes England working to get close to her record.
Chelsea was in an incredible form and at the start of the season the catalyst was Guro Reiten for this. Her efforts also have her on seven goals for the season (of 4.92 xg), making her the top goalscorer of blues in the competition.
Reiten scored her migration of the least shots (26, 11 on goal), while England 32 (12 on goal) had. Reiten has the best shot conversion rate (26.92%) from the top five goal scorers in the WSL.
Reiten is also the only one of the top five to score from outside the box (six inside, one off). None of her goals were headers.
In a joint sixth position, but still in Golden Boot, is Frida Maanum, who has yielded six goals this period.
The Arsenal star went out like a train to start the season, but has since delayed a little in her efforts for the goal. She generally had 36 shots and scored with half of her attempts on goal.
All six of her efforts were scored with her right foot (four in the box, two outside), including a stunning curling effort on a long-distance that won her the WSL goal of the monthly prize before November.
The last player to name and one that the WSL has torn in recent weeks in the absence of teammate Shaw is none other than Fowler.
While she shares the first place for target statements with Shaw, Fowler has six assists, the most player in the competition. She is also the first player in the history of WSL who is directly involved in two or more goals in four consecutive performances.
From players to score more than three goals in the WSL this season, only Kiko Seike from Brighton (27.78% – five goals) has a better shot conversion rate than Fowler's 27.27% (six goals).
The Golden Boot Race, however, remains tight, with people like Vivianne Asseyi, Seike, Mariona Caldentey, Nikita Parris, Daly, Miedema, Aggie Beever-Jones and Grace Clinton All Joint-Eight on five goals.
Miedema won the goal of January of the month before January for her second goal against West Ham and wants to keep England at the top of the score cards of all time, while Caldentey, another player with a title Hoopvol, hopes to continue where she had gone against West Ham, who had scored against Spurs.
The last weeks of a dramatic WSL campaign will now take place, and we have one of the nearest and most varied Golden Boot races that we have seen in many years.
But all contenders know how difficult it will be to defeat Shaw, because her striving for goals in the objectives – such as most goals in the competition and the most golden boot triumphs – continues this year and then.
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