‘There is no substitute for hard work,’ Thomas Edison once quoted.
The above statement is an epithet of the girls of the Apostolic Carmel football team. For the last few months, they had been toiling hard to up their fitness, improve their control of the ball and play practice matches to get their act perfect. They eventually did, and how!
The girls of Apostolic Carmel High School emerged triumphant after they beat Arya Vidya Mandir, Juhu in an edge of the seat encounter at Azad Maidan earlier last month. The solitary goal came from the boots of Ash D’Silva in the first half of a game that showcased some high-quality end-to-end action.
But what’s significant is that the win was a display of a total team effort; if the goalkeeper and defence stood rock solid at the back, the midfield and forwards played their part in keeping the rivals on their back foot. Coach Cosmos Vaz deployed his strategy perfectly making the most of his players’ strengths. In the absence of a seasoned goalkeeper, Carissa Fernandes, who is a midfielder by nature, manned the goalposts, this, given her agility and quick reflexes, leading to her making some vital blocks in the final. In the midfield, Ash D’Silva – whom the coach calls the ‘backbone’ of his team – played a stellar role, dropping back to defend as well as driving forward to attack, giving the opposition players a tiresome day at the office. Meanwhile, Mmehak Lobo, fresh from her shift with the U15 Indian Women’s National Team, threatened with her blistering runs down the right flank forcing the opponents to have a couple of players on her tail throughout the game.
But that was not all. Having already played a game at Borivali in the morning (winning their third-place match of the Subroto Cup agonizingly being edged in the tie-breaker in the semi-finals), the girls had to battle four hours of bumpy road travel, mental fatigue as well as tired legs, which made their victory all the more sweeter.
Coach Cosmos Vaz was elated, “I can’t express how happy I am with the girls. Most of these girls were part of the U14 squad that won the MSSA title last year which helped them understand each other’s game better. Our defence and midfield put in a solid shift and it was a pleasure to watch them play their hearts out, this, after playing another game in the morning as well.”
Principal Sr. Suchitra Furtado was ecstatic and all praise for the coach, praising Cosmos Vaz for his dedication. She added that it was thanks to his guidance that the team was performing well while she was more than happy to extend her support to the girls for their practices and games.
Coach Cosmos Vaz concluded, “There is definitely no substitute for the hard work these girls have put in these past few months.”
