PANAJI
Goa University’s men’s football team emerged as the champions of the prestigious West Zone Inter-University Football Men’s Championship 2024-25, organized by Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, recently.
The team began their campaign with a dominant 5-0 victory in the Pool-C knockout stage against KBCN University, Jalgaon. Sankalp Kankonkar scored a hat-trick, while Topon Minj and Shaviz Pathan added a goal each. In their second match, Goa University won 5-3 in a penalty shootout against Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune, after a goalless draw. The third match, a hard-fought contest against Mumbai University, ended 1-1, with Kankonkar scoring for Goa University. The match was decided by penalties, with Goa University winning 10-9.
In their fourth match, Goa University defeated Savitribai Phule Pune University 2-0, with goals from Aryan Salunkhe and Kankonkar. In the playoff, Goa University triumphed 2-1 over R.T.M. Nagpur, securing a spot in the All India Inter-University Football Championship 2024-25. Kankonkar scored both goals in this match.
During the West Zone league, Goa University beat hosts Parul University 2-1, with goals from Muzafar Dhalayat and Shaviz Pathan. They drew 1-1 against Somaiya University, Mumbai, with Dhalayat scoring. In the final match, Goa University edged past Shivaji University, Kolhapur, with a 1-0 victory, thanks to Dhalayat’s second-half goal.
Goa University finished at the top of the table with 7 points, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament.
With this victory, Goa University has qualified for the All India Inter-University Football Men’s Championship 2024-25, scheduled to be held at Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, from January 29 to February 5, 2025.
Goa University Football Squad
Deva Verma, Mujafar Dhalayat, Sahil U. Gaonkar, Vedant Naik, Adarsh Raj, Ajay Raj, Pushkar Prabhu, Bhaskar Jalmi, Aryan D. Salunke, Akash Singh, Shaviz Khan Pathan, Aeren Figueiredo, Arnold Oliveira, Ashwek Jadhav, Gale D’Costa, Alrico Cardozo, Nihar Naik, Topon Minj, Vishal Vargaonkar, Sunny Parab, Manjunath Chauhan, Sankalp Kankonkar.
Coaching Staff: Dr. Savio Fernandes (Head Coach), Dr. Michael Dias (Assistant Coach), Mr. Siddesh Kesarkar (Team Manager).
