Ace striker Muriel Adam of Pune District has been appointed captain of the 20-member Maharashtra (WIFA) team to participate in the Senior Women’s National Football Championship 2021-22, to be held in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Mumbai District’s experienced defender Kimberly Fernandez is named as the vice-captain of the team which is being coached by Darryl Samuel of Mumbai. Sana Shaikh (Pune) and Sayali Shinde (Thane) will accompany the team as manager and physiotherapist respectively.
Maharashtra is clubbed along with Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Sikkim in Group-E. In the opening fixture, Maharashtra takes on Arunachal Pradesh on November 29 at 9.30 am and next face off against Jammu & Kashmir in December 1 at the same time. In the concluding match, Maharashtra will clash with Sikkim on December 3 at 2.30 pm.
The Maharashtra women are determined to put strong performances as only the top team from each group will advance to the knockout round.
The Maharashtra Team – Goalkeepers: Anjali Barke (Pune), Priyanka Sutaria (Mumbai).
Defenders: Afreen Pheerboy (Thane), Annie Anthony (Nagpur), Atirya Narayan, Kimberly Fernandez (both Mumbai), Manasi Samre, Nidhi Shetty, Arifa Zaheer (all Thane).
Mid-fielders: Aishwarya Bhonde (Buldhana), Denise Pereira, Reetika Sahani, Sapna Jaiswar (all Mumbai), Akanksha Kandalkar, Ritika Goveas, Valencia D’mello (all Thane).
Strikers: Karen Pais (Mumbai), Muriel Adam, Aishwarya Jagtap (both Pune), Tripti Deep (Gondia).