At just 21 years old, Jaedyn Shaw has accomplished more in her career than most players dare to dream about. With broken records and an Olympic Gold, Shaw’s setting the bar incredibly high—and continuing to raise it. 

In 2022 Shaw became the then-youngest player in NWSL history to score a goal during her debut for the San Diego Wave when she was 17-years-old. Since then, she has become the youngest player in NWSL history to reach 15 career goals, a feat she achieved earlier this season. But the accolades don’t stop there. Shaw is also an Olympic Gold Medalist, winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“I live for these moments,” Shaw said.  

And she’s had a lot of those moments. One of them came just a few days ago when Shaw scored what just might be the biggest goal of her career: the game winning goal for the lowest seed in the NWSL tournament, Gotham FC. That goal punched the ticket for Gotham to play in the NWSL Finals on Saturday on Nov. 22 and knocked the defending champions the Orlando Pride out of the competition. 

But Shaw’s journey to her game winning goal hasn’t been easy. At the start of this NWSL season, Shaw made the move to join the North Carolina Courage from the San Diego Wave for $300,000 in allocation money and $150,000 in intraleague transfer fees, along with international roster spots. 

After failing to score in her first three starts with the team. Shaw admitted that she struggled with the expectations of her new club.

“I think, at least, recently I’ve struggled a little bit with just the expectation of being traded into a new environment,” Shaw said. “And now it’s an environment where it suits you and you suit it and you’re going to be impactful and it's going to be great and all this stuff. And when it’s not, it's just like ‘whoa, what happened?’”

These expectations weigh heavily on Shaw and other young stars. Especially when you add social media and increased money into the mix. It’s a lot for anyone, but younger players in their teenage years or early twenties often feel the weight of the pressure more. 

“There is nothing linear about progress and success. You will have great games and terrible ones as well, understand that neither are defining.”

Julie Foudy

Handling Pressure

Pressure isn’t new in the NWSL or specific to Shaw, but that doesn’t make it any easier. The thing about the pressure in professional sports is that it’s quick to come and hard to navigate. 

“The advice I give is that it comes at you fast and it is messy,” two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner and Hall of Famer, Julie Foudy, says on the pressures young players face. “There is nothing linear about progress and success. You will have great games and terrible ones as well, understand that neither are defining.” 

After 19 appearances for the Courage and just three goals and one assist, Shaw showed belief in herself and pushed for another trade in this summer’s NWSL transfer window. The move was an NWSL record-breaking $1.25 million deal between the Courage and Gotham. 

The move paid off for Shaw and for Gotham as she scored in her debut on September 12th against her former team, San Diego Wave.

“I (felt) like all my hard work throughout the year paid off,” Shaw said post-game after her debut. “That was me taking a sigh of relief. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with different pressure… That moment was me being extremely proud of myself and feeling like I picked myself back up out of the slump I felt like I was in.” 

Defining her career

Since then, Shaw has been instrumental in helping Gotham return to the NWSL Finals. She has recorded two goals, including the game winner against Orlando, and one assist in Gotham’s two playoff matches. 

Like Shaw, we’re not defined by the moments we doubt ourselves. We’re defined by the courage we have to bet on ourselves and keep pushing. “The growth and willingness to keep growing is what defines you,” Foudy says. “Because in the end if you are loving the process, you will become all you hope to be.” 

Shaw’s journey in her young career hasn’t been easy. She’s felt the pressure. She’s bet on herself. She’s adapted. And now, Shaw will look to lead Gotham to their second NWSL Championship in three years. 

Her journey is proof that one situation that doesn’t work out isn’t the end of an athlete’s career. Despite the pressures we face as athletes, a positive environment that feels like the right fit for us can help us flourish through adversity.