Goa, November 19, 2016: On a bright and humid Saturday morning in Goa’s Duler Stadium, Rosary Higher Secondary School (Senior Girls) and Government Higher Secondary School (Senior boys) lifted the RFYS trophies in their respective categories and booked their spots in the Nationals to be played in Mumbai.

Senior girls: Carmel Higher Secondary School vs Rosary Higher Secondary School

In a gripping first contest of the day at the Duler Stadium in Mupasa, Goa, Rosary Higher Secondary School inched past Carmel Higher Secondary School 1-0 to clinch the final of the Senior Girls category. Rosary HSS’s victory came courtesy of a goal from Akshita Patil, who walked away with the golden boot award in the category.

FC Goa players Mandar Rao Desai and Romeo Fernandes along with the winners of RFYS – Senior Girls finals Rosary Higher Secondary School

Both teams came in with an intent to attack, holding nothing back right from the start of the game. The fight for possession was intense and the game moved at a brisk pace. A plethora of passes were made and missed. Rosary HSS, however, out-smarted Carmel HSS when it came to defence. While constantly looking to get a foot into the opponent’s hive, they guarded their own half with gusto.

Anline Fernandes, in particular, was a looming presence on the field, taking and saving passes for Rosary HSS at the same time. Her relentless energy and nimbleness showed why she has been one of the key players of her team throughout the tournament. She was rewarded for her brilliant overall show with the golden ball.

The intense pressure created on the field culminated in a goal for Rosary HSS in the 20^th minute when Akshita Patil got them the breakthrough, furthering her case as a frontrunner for the golden boot winner.

A chance was created for Carmel HSS for an equaliser five minutes later but they were denied by some brilliant glove work from Rosary HSS goalkeeper, DA Costa Annette. With another fine save in the second half, Annette overtook her Carmel HSS counterpart in the race of the golden glove award.

Scoreline:

Rosary HSS – 1 (Akshita Patil 20’) beat Carmel HSS – 0

Senior boys:

Government Higher Secondary School vs St. Alex Higher Secondary School

Govt. HSS lifted the trophy in the Senior boys category in Goa’s Duler Stadium, overcoming St. Alex HSS by 1-0. Ashley Cardozo, the lone scorer in the game, was presented with the player of the match award.

The beaming smiles in the Govt. HSS camp got broader towards the end of the final presentation ceremony, which their players dominated to the hilt. While their goalkeeper Roanal Gaunkar walked away with the golden glove, their leading tournament goal scorer, Kunal Salgaonkar (eight goals), was the recipient of both golden boot and golden hand awards.

Winners of the RFYS senior boys finals Government Higher Secondary School, Sankhalim

Govt. HSS finally broke the shackles in the 62^nd minute as Ashley Cardozo converted a free kick into the solitary goal of the match. The St. Alex HSS defenders let their guards down for a moment and paid the heavy price.

St. Alex boys created various opportunities for an equaliser but fluffed them all at the last minute – some owing to Govt. HSS’s fine defence and others due to their own folly. The ones most significant were an open goal missed in the 56^th minute and a poor judgment in timing in the 84^th minute resulting in a wayward kick.

Scoreline:

Government Higher Secondary School –1 (Ashley Cardozo 62’) beat St. Alex Higher Secondary School – 0.

Tags: Football, Goa, Government Higher Secondary School, Reliance Foundation, Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, RFYS, Rosary Higher Secondary School, Youth Sports