MSSA Div II football: Khushi scores brace as Utpal Shanghvi beat St. Anne's

Utpal Shanghvi Global School's Khushi Sen (third from left) tackles St Anne's players during the MSSA Division II inter-school girls' football match at Azad Maidan yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Utpal Shanghvi Global School (Vile Parle) reached the semi-finals of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) Division II inter-school girls football tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday by beating St Anne's (Malad) 2-0.

Both teams went into the match in supreme goal-scoring form and hadn't conceded a single goal in the tournament. Utpal Shanghvi, the brighter of the two, started the match playing with a high line.

St Anne's effort go in vain
They were soon rewarded with a penalty which striker Khushi Sen expertly converted. It looked like the Vile Parle outfit would run away with the match but St Anne's clawed their way back and exerted their authority but in doing so exposed themselves at the back.

Ultimately, they conceded against the run of play in the second half through Khushi again whose left foot shot perplexed the goalkeeper. It was Khushi's ninth goal of the campaign. She and her teammate Malvika Kamaraj have scored 16 out of the team's 18 goals so far.

Utpal Shanghvi's coach Umesh Shamraj believes they are crucial in their pursuit for glory. "If we are to win the tournament this year, it all depends on the duo," Shamraj told mid-day yesterday.

He further added that his plan to subdue St Anne's midfielder Anna Fernandes worked to perfection. "We watched their previous match to get to know them. From what I saw, they seemed too left-wing heavy where their No. 8 (Anna) plays. We decided to keep a close watch on her and it worked really well," he added.

When asked as to how the team has been managed to not concede so far, Shamraj said, "I do medicine ball training with them. So I think that is how it is all coming about."