Tuesday & Thursday Night Futsal:
After the December Break, with relaxed COVID restrictions I decided to start getting back into regular sports, as I did before the pandemic. The start for me was a group to play futsal with every Tuesday and Thursday night. I was in this group before COVID, where I used to go and play on Sunday mornings with my friend Arav.
The group was mostly adults so the games were very physical and ideal for getting back into the game and also for fitness.
Tuesday Night Futsal
One of the biggest challenges for me came on the tuesday night sessions, where there was a rule in place which meant we could not venture in the opposition penalty box. This was extremely difficult as there were less opportunities to score and less space to operate in going forward. Playing in smaller spaces prepared me well for an upcoming tournament where I represented OSC with.
Friday 11th Feb Futsal Tournament:
On the 11th of February OSC took 2 teams to an 8 team International school futsal tournament, with Stafford, CIS, and Elizabeth Moir also taking part. Instead of taking an A and a B team, we decided to split into two equal teams to give the best chance of meeting one another in the final. My team was Kaalep, Lithira, Emilio, Johail, and Moussa. The tournament started well, with both teams winning their opening 2 games with ease. Our team then met Elizabeth Moir, who presented the biggest challenge so far. Despite our initial domination, the match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Moir topping our group on Goal Difference. This meant that we had to meet the other OSC team in the semi final. It was a tough game, but the other OSC team prevailed 5-4 in a tight game, and they sadly went on to lose in the final. My team faced Elizabeth Moir again in the 3/4 game, winning 3-2 thanks to a great performance from Moussa in front of goal.
TISSL Football:
With no SAISA this year, TISSL football was our big opportunity this year. It was an honour to lead the team as captain for the tournament. We were drawn into a group with Lyceum Nugegoda and Lyceum Wattala, which we knew would be difficult and physical. With little training before the tournament, we were unsure but raring to go. The first game against Nugegoda started sluggishly, with us being drawn into wrestling the opponent rather than playing around them. Lyceum took a 1-0 lead into the break. After a great half time discussion, we came out in the second half a different team, pressing high and keeping the ball well. I played a ball through to Liam who scored, only for it to be ruled out for offside. After this, the momentum swung dramatically as a series of defensive errors and referee blunders saw Lyceum take an unasaillable lead, which was to much to come back from in the end.
We came to the next game knowing only a win could take us through to the knockouts. Unlike the previous game, we started this one on the front foot, spending most of the first half in the opposition half with countless chances. Somehow, we went into half time at 0-0, as we missed many easy chances. The second half was much of the same, as the team dominated the ball and put a lot of effort in, but were unable to score, eliminating us from the tournament.
Overall it was dissapointing not to progress as we knew that we had not performed to our level. After the second game I took some time to reflect upon what was approximately my 30th and last ever competitive game for the OSC football team, spanning from the under 14 tournament in grade 6 to SAISAs, to this final one. The highlight to me was winning the under 17 tournament in grade 7, where I managed to score 3 goals in the tournament. It was also a proud moment for me to be able to captain the team, which was a new challenge for me.
We still hope to play some friendly matches before the end of the year, in which I hope to be more clinical in front of goal and create more chances for my teammates.
Learning Outcomes:
Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.
Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.