MSSA hockey: Sneha shines for St Francis Xavier

St Francis Xavier player stars in dying moments of under-14 clash against ST Joseph

Sneha Shrivastava's brace helped St Francis Xavier (Kanjurmarg) beat St Joseph (Vikhroli) 2-1 in the first round of the girls' under-14 MSSA-Nike Inter-School hockey tournament yesterday.

After a barren first half, Sneha drew first blood for St Xavier following a scramble inside the box, but the team's joy did not last long as Kanisha Patel scored the equaliser for St Joseph within minutes.



Just when the match looked like heading for a draw, Sneha found the net again in the dying minutes of the match to hand her team their maiden victory in the tournament.

The 12-year-old was elated with the win but expressed disappointment with the way the national game was being treated. "I took up hockey two years ago because I like the sport. It is sad that not much importance is given to it nowadays. This is our national sport and I would like to contribute to Indian hockey in future."
Xavier's skipper Shrutika Kaware was delighted with the team's performance. "Last year, we won only two matches in the inter-school tournament. This time we will make it to the semis for sure."