Shivika delivers on all fronts as Utpal Sanghvi sign off with win

Utpal Sanghvi’s Shivika Shetty at Wings Sports Centre in Bandra on Monday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Utpal Sanghvi (Borivli) got the better of Bhaktivedanta Swami Mission (Andheri) 1-0 in a keenly-contested girls U-16 Div-II match of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school football tournament at the Wings Sports Centre, Bandra, on Monday.

Interestingly, goal-scorer Shivika Shetty, who broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, began the match as a goalkeeper before switching to the striker's role at half-time. However, this is not the first time that Shivika has played and excelled in different positions. She has represented Maharashtra in the sub-junior category in the 2023-2024 season, following which she was a part of the Maharashtra junior team in 2024-2025 - on both occasions as a goalkeeper. In January this year, she played in the Reliance Cup, representing FSI Club, as a defender.

"I'm very versatile when it comes to football. I can fit into any team as I enjoy performing in multiple roles," Shivika, who trains at Borivli's Fast Football Academy, told mid-day.

The super striker was a tad disappointed though. "This was our last match of the season since we have failed to qualify for the knockouts. As I'm in Class X, I regret not being able to help my team earn a promotion to Div-I in my last season at school," added Shivika.