It was a much-awaited moment for team Amrita. Last month they won the Ameer Shah Memorial Football Cup, playing against teams from all over the state of Kerala.
“We did it!” proudly proclaimed Team Coach, Vimalkumar P. T.
The annual tournament was organized by MES College of Engineering and Technology, Kollam. This 9’s foot ball tournament had several teams, each comprised of 9 players.
Team Amrita was led by Captain Vishnu. S. Menon, third-year student of BTech (Computer Science and Engineering). Vice-Captain Arunjith V. S, final-year student of BBM (Bachelor of Business Management) supported the captain and the team well.
The team played their first game against Azeezia College of Engineering to secure an easy win of 2-0. For Amrita, the goals were secured by Vice-Captain Arunjith and Charles Chacko, final-year student of BTech (Computer Science and Engineering).
This victory won the team a place in the semi-finals.
Here Team Amrita played against Shahul Hameed College of Engineering. Both teams tied, securing one goal each. It was in the penalty shoot-out that Amrita managed two extra goals to win decisively (3-1). Goal keeper Subin S. Chandran, final-year student of BBM was instrumental in ensuring this win with his many acrobatic saves.
The final was played against St. Keats College of Engineering, Kottayam. The game lasted some 50 minutes during which the gathering whistled, applauded and called out, to support the young players.
It looked like Team Amrita would lose. The team conceded one goal in the first half and two in the second half. But never ready to accept failure, the players bounced back with confidence. Three goals were rapidly scored and the game went into a tie.
Captain Vishnu, Charles and Akhil, second-year student of BTech (Mechanical Engineering) secured these goals.
In penalty shoot-out, Team Amrita secured four goals. In addition to the Captain and the Vice-Captain, Sanal, third-year student of BTech (Computer Science and Engineering) and Jayath Shankar, final-year student of BTech (Information Technology) secured goals for the team.
Team Amrita won with a 4-2 margin against St. Keats!
“As a team, it was an awesome experience for us,” shared Captain Vishnu. “We learned a lot and we really enjoyed the games. It was our coach who worked hard with us daily for this win and who inculcated in us a strong desire to win. We dedicate our victory to him.”
“The students prepared mentally and physically for this tournament for the past few months. The preparation gave them immense confidence to move ahead. The victory was finally like a dream come true. I appreciate our young champions. This win is absolutely for them, for their hard work,” summed up Coach Vimalkumar.
March 15, 2012
Amritapuri Campus
