Juhu school's probable Jr India trainee Sankhe sets up one and scores two goals in 3-0 win over Lakshdham outfit
Arya Vidya Mandir's Sai Sankhe (right) vies for the ball with Lakshdham's Vanessa D'Souza during the MSSA girls U-16 Division I match at the Cooperage ground yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Sai Sankhe, 14, stamped her class and played an inspirational role by creating the first goal and scoring two to guide Arya Vidya Mandir (Juhu) to a fluent 3-0 win over Lakshdham (Goregaon) in a girls U-16 Division-I Group 'D' league match of the MSSA inter-school football tournament at the Cooperage ground yesterday.
Junior India probables
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Sai, who is among the 35 probables training with the Junior India team in preparation for the 2020 U-17 World Cup to be hosted by India, came off the bench at the start of the second half, and made her presence felt within eight minutes. She delivered a measured corner kick which fell perfectly for teammate Nainika Agarwal to boot home and break the deadlock. The talented, skillful and athletically-built Sai, who exhibited excellent ball control, easily took the rival defenders in her stride and scored the next two goals from solo efforts in the 30th and 38th minutes to round off the tally. Sai was pleased that her effort helped the team win, but was a tad disappointed as she may not be available for the knockout rounds since she goes back to join the India camp over the weekend.
"I will play the next two league games, but I have to return to Goa for the India camp on Saturday. I'm confident that we will qualify for the knockout rounds, but unfortunately, I won't be available to play for the team," Sai told mid-day. Speaking of her experience with the Indian team, Sai said it's a huge learning. "It's amazing to be in the India camp. It feels great to be associated with so many new players from different parts of the country and from different cultures. It's a new experience for me," said Sai.
Two-month camp
The young striker said that her two-month stint at the camp has benefitted her immensely. "I have become a lot fitter and faster as I worked on my speed. I feel I'm a better player too. I will continue to train hard because I want to keep improving," said Sai said before running off to join her teammates. Meanwhile, in the other matches, Cathedral & John Connon scored on the stroke of the final whistle through Tanisha Laud to eke out a 1-0 win against Canossa (Andheri), while Mary Immaculate rode on Monis Tracy's hat-trick to defeat Gokuldham (Goregaon) 5-0. Angeline Antony and Elizer Pais scored the other two goals for the Borivli school.
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