Senior women’s nationals: Goa bow out after Odisha draw

Margao: Prithi Kesarkar could not control her tears after being stretchered out of the field due to an injury. For 58 minutes, the goalkeeper kept Goa’s hopes alive in a must-win match against Odisha to stand any chance of qualifying for the next stage of the 27th Senior Women’s National Football Championship 2022-23.
Goa were leading too after Karen Estrocio gave them the lead at the stroke of halftime at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Sunday.
It was some outstanding goalkeeping from Prithi that left the opposition frustrated for almost an hour. Then, a fierce shot from Odisha’s Sumitra Hembram got the better of her and rattled the Goa post as the ball went out of play. Prithi had stretched, dived to save the attempt, and ended up damaging her right knee with a bad fall.
Ashika Gadekar, who started the first two games for Goa, replaced Prithi.
She tried her best when Satyabati Khadia connected a cross from Jasoda. The Goa custodian initially blocked the shot but could do little when Satyabati scored of the rebound.
On the sidelines, Prithi watched helplessly as the match ended 1-1.
Girijadevi Desai’s team finished third in the group with seven points from four games and are not out of the tournament. Odisha finished second with eight points as Himachal Pradesh, coached by Goa’s Vaman Chari, topped the group with 10 points.
The final round of the competition will have a total of 12 teams as the six group winners progress along with the five best runners-up. Railways have been given a direct entry.
Having practiced for less than a month, Goa put up an improved performance from their previous matches. They looked out for teammates, stitched good passes, and were compact and the back.
On the other hand, Odisha were superior in fitness and it showed in their work rate. They were mostly trying to use the flanks and almost got an early breakthrough, if not for Prithi, who got a crucial touch before Jasoda’s grounder missed the target.
At the other end, Goa had a glorious chance in the 13th minute. Sushmita sent a through ball to Karen, who outpaced her marker and even got past rival goalkeeper Spandita Das. But much to the dismay, Karen’s grounder missed the target.
Odisha knew that Goa could hurt them on the counter and tried desperately to take the lead. Goa centre-back Laura Estibeiro left them frustrated time and again with timely tackles.
Just after the half an hour mark, Odisha’s Deepa Nayak rounded off Prithi but her effort hit the side-netting. Then, Grace Hauhanar shot wide from close.
Goa were straight forward with their approach as they fed Karen with either short or long balls. The forward was ready to break the offside trap and chase every ball.
Her hard work paid off before the break when Sushmita found her again with a delightful through ball and Karen finished neatly.
Odisha made three changes in the second half, including introducing eventual goal-scorer Satyabati.
Goa had 25 minutes to find the winner. Karen and Joyvi Fernandes came close but Goa eventually bid goodbye to the tournament.
Earlier, Himachal Pradesh demolished Andhra Pradesh 19-1 to top the group with 10 points.