MSSA Football: St Andrew's High School makes a winning start

St Andrew's Zeeyan Nevrekar (left) and Maven Macwan after their MSSAâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088inter-school Division III match against Arya Vidya Mandir (Bandra) at Azad Maidan yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Riding on braces from Maven Macwan and Zeeyan Nevrekar, St Andrew's High School (Bandra) made a winning start in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association-organised inter-school boys' under-16 Division III football tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday.

The duo teamed up well in front of the goal as they helped the Bandra outfit hammer Arya Vidya Mandir (Bandra) 4-0 in their opening encounter. St Andrew's were the dominant side from the outset as they attacked the opponents' goal at regular intervals. Arya Vidya Mandir boys managed to put up a solid defence to thwart away waves of St Andrew's attacks.

But the Bandra outfit wilted under pressure and allowed Zeeyan to make a solo run with the ball as he tapped in from close range. Having gained the ascendancy, St Andrew's managed to double their lead via Maven. From then, it was St Andrew's all the way, as Maven and Zeeyan flummoxed Arya Vidya Mandir to score their second goals. Having suffered relegation last season, Maven is determined to get back to Div II. "Last year, we had a weak team due to which we got demoted. This year we have a better team and are confident that we will win the final," said the midfielder. Zeeyan, too, sounded happy with his performance and said the victory will give them the much-needed momentum in the coming matches.

"Playing our first match after relegation, we wanted to make a winning start this year. We achieved our first goal. Now, we want to reach the final," said the striker, who aims to score in every match for his team.

Sacred Heart win 10-0
In another Division III tie, Sacred Heart (Santacruz) registered a 10-0 win over Gyan Kendra (Andheri). Kane Simon and Utkesh Baboria scored three goals each, while Prashant Mirkar scored a brace.