Ricshya Walker is flying under the radar. The spotlight on Jamaican women’s football often focuses on the more established and high-profile players. But this 22-year-old striker is quietly, and quickly, making a name for herself. She began her professional career with Costa Rican club Sporting in March of this year, scoring seven goals in the women’s premier division in her first five games.
Walker departed the club in May at the end of the season, and it would not be long before she was off to Mexico, where she signed for newly formed women’s club Atlante Femenil in Mexico’s Liga Femenil.
Atlante are playing their first-ever season with a mix of youth and established players. Three games into the campaign, they have won their first match against Necaxa, lost the second to powerhouse Rayadas and the third to Cruz Azul.
But Walker has been one of the bright sparks in this challenging beginning.
She made her debut in the 3-1 loss to Rayadas, starting the game and scoring her team’s only goal. In her second appearance, she scored another solitary goal for Atlante in the 3-1 defeat to Cruz Azul.
Seven goals in her first five games in Costa Rica, followed by two in her first two games in Mexico, are hard to ignore.
Ricshya Walker scores against Cruz Azul for Atlante Femenil. Video courtesy of Atlante Femenil on Instagram.
Behind the explosiveness of this early stage of her career is a quiet composure.
Recalling her impressive run earlier this year in Costa Rica, she reflected: “I have confidence in myself. I know what I’m capable of.”
“But to start like that, yes, it’s shocking,” the striker added. “You don’t plan for things to just start that fast and that high. But it was good. And I know that I’m capable of competing at that level. So, I wouldn’t say I was worried going into it. It’s a confidence booster for sure.”
Walker will need that self-assurance in Mexico to navigate defenders who have significantly more experience than she does, some of whom are representing the best teams in Mexico and, by extension, North America.
Scoring two goals already against those defences was no easy feat.
Facing powerhouse Rayadas, Atlante were forced to defend for most of the game, leaving Walker isolated as the lone forward up front.
It was difficult for her teammates to transition to attack and provide her with service. And when they did, she was well marked.
In her second game, Atlante found it a little easier to initiate attacks against Cruz Azul, but Walker remained tightly guarded by the opposition.
Physicality has been a feature of the defending she is now facing, something that often comes with the territory for centre-forwards with a strong physical presence. Learning to navigate that will be another part of her adaptation to football at this level.
I asked her how she would describe her game, and her answer revealed a player accustomed to adjusting to whatever the game demands.
“I try not to do just one thing,” Walker explained. “I try to do a little bit of everything, whatever is called for. If I have to make more runs, then that’s what it is. If I have to hold the ball up and give it to somebody else, that’s what it is. If they’re playing a lot of crosses, then I just stay in the box, don’t really touch the ball too much until they play it in there. I don’t think it’s just one thing.
“I think if you want to be an elite player, if you want to improve, then you can’t just be a fast player and say that’s going to get me wherever I want to be,” she continued. “So I just try to keep a balance, work on everything, and make sure that I can do everything whenever it’s necessary.”
This attitude also guides her career strategy. She doesn’t dream of a particular league or football club. She wants to be in environments that push her to the next level.
“At the end of the day, the club has to want you just as much as you want the club,” Walker said. “So, I think it’s important to find a team that shares the same values as me. While I’m looking at personal improvement, they’re also looking at, ‘How can we improve this player? How can we make this player better?’”
That strategy has taken her to Mexico, where both Walker and Atlante are building their identities together as the new club embarks on its journey.
Before turning professional, Walker spent four years in NCAA Division I football, playing three seasons at La Salle University before transferring to the University of New Hampshire for her senior year. She also played for Pennsylvania-based pre-professional club Lancaster Inferno in 2025.