As the final weekend before summer break approached, the Ascend U19 girls’ football team seized their last opportunity of the academic year to represent their school in the Football Factor Cup. They were
joined by other Ascend students who formed various teams, making it a memorable and competitive send-off. The Football Factor Cup was hosted by two students, including one from Ascend, and took place on the 25th of May, hosting both boys and girls.
The girls had begun training a week prior, grabbing DP students like Tara Hebbar, and Diya Suriya to ensure they had a full team, even if the girls didn’t necessarily know how to play football. The girls began training together, dec
iding formations, subs, strategies and more. Their first match was against Cathedral, and Ascend walked onto the pitch confidently, donned in bright red. Their starting five was Sarah Kachwala in goal, Keya Rajgarhia and Diya Suriya as defenders and Aanya Vora and Tara Hebbar as strikers. Hoping for promising results like last time, they began the match. While the match started off slower, it was fairly equal between both teams, with both Cathedral and Ascend getting equal shots on target. Seconds are the start of the second half, Aanya Vora scored a goal that appeared valid from Ascend’s perspective, however was not acknowledged as a goal by the Cathedral team.The referee had been standing at an unfortunate angle where they were unable to confirm whether it was a valid goal, and so ruled it invalid. The Ascend girls were disheartened, yet the whistle blew soon after, and the first match ended in an unlucky draw.
The team got an hour in between matches to fraternize with other schools, watch some games, and build strategies for their next match . As the girls entered the turf, they had their game plan in place, discussing and picking up tips from the other teams present. On paper, OIS seemed like a tough team, as they had combined the best from both the JVLR and OGC campuses. However, the team, and especially Aanya, were determined to not waver. The match began fast-paced, with both teams trying to dominate possession. Within the first half however, Ascend conceded one goal. This didn’t dishearten them, and instead fueled a fire within Aanya. The second she got close to the goal, she swerved the goalie in the opposite direction, and hit an incredible shot
in the back of the net. The Ascend girls celebrated this goal, and as the whistle blew it ended once again in a draw for the girls, leaving them with two points.
Luckily, although the girls didn’t top the table, thanks to Cathedral losing their match, Ascend was able to qualify to the finals, once again facing Oberoi. The finals began just as the sun started to set, proving a welcome break from the extreme heat. However, as the match started, the OIS girls took a kick from the halfway line, and scored instantly. While Ascend had multiple shots on target, they weren’t able to have the ball reach the back of the net, leaving the girls in red with an unfortunate loss. Even though the team came out as runners up, Sarah Kachwala won best goal keeper, and the girls were still able to bring a trophy home.
As the curtain falls on the academic year, the girls’ football team saw the Football Factor Cup as their ultimate challenge, serving as a culmination of all their efforts. For players like Tara Hebbar, it was a bittersweet farewell, representing Ascend for the last time. The remaining team eagerly awaits the upcoming year, filled with countless tournaments, the team proves to stand united in their determination to emerge victorious once again.
