Sixteen match days, 30 matches and 103 goals into Goal 2013, the time has finally come to decide the champion college football team in the state. True to form and expectation, defending champions Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, have progressed into the summit clash scheduled to be held at the Sacred Heart College Ground in Thevara on Saturday.
Challenging the seemingly unbeatable SKVC side will be the skilful boys from Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha.
Having shown in no uncertain terms during the preliminary phase that they were out to grab the most prestigious title on offer for college teams in the state, both teams have kept their promise, getting through the knock-out rounds unscathed.
During the course of the second edition of the all-Kerala inter-collegiate football tournament organised by The New Indian Express, 16 teams from four different universities were keen to establish themselves as among the best in the state.
The youngsters have displayed enough skill and endeavour to suggest that, with good training and exposure, they could turn into real stars of the future.
Three hat-tricks have so far been scored after Union Minister for Urban Poverty Alleviation and Housing Ajay Maken kicked off the tournament on January 16.
The best eight - comprising the winners and runners-up of the four preliminary groups - moved into the quarterfinals. With increasing numbers of spectators turning up at the picturesque venue along the Vembanad Lake to encourage some of the most promising footballers in the state, the knock-out matches saw a tremendous improvement in both the quality of football on display and the excitement on the sidelines.