Anwitaa almost single-handedly dismantled the opposition defence with her speed and precision, scoring in the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 13th and 16th minute
Podar International’s Anwitaa Thakar at the Wings Sports Centre, Bandra on Monday. Pic/Nimesh Dave
Anwitaa Thakar netted as many as five goals as Podar International (IB) stormed into the girls U-16 Div-II quarter-finals of the Dream Sports-Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school football tournament with a thumping 8-0 win over RN Shah International at the Wings Sports Centre, Bandra, on Monday.
Anwitaa almost single-handedly dismantled the opposition defence with her speed and precision, scoring in the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 13th and 16th minute. Her teammates Aishwarya Rautela, Akshara Madhusudan and Naina Bhatia added a goal each to complete the rout.
Interestingly, Anwitaa, 13, is a teenager with multiple talents. She’s a promising fencer and won a bronze medal in the U-14 category at a competition in Cuttack earlier this year. She is also a chess player and holds a FIDE ranking of 1505.
Having done well previously in individual sports (fencing and chess), Anwitaa was a bit nervous ahead of this tournament. “I was nervous because I have never been part of a team competition previously. But it has been a great experience with all my teammates rallying around for support,” she said.
Coach Hyginus D’Souza was all praise for his girls: “I’ve been building this team for the last three years. This team has been fielded for the first time so it’s great to see them progress to the quarter-finals. Anwitaa is a key player. She excels in sports as well as academics.”
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