Karishma hat-trick helps Kickstart to floor East Bengal in IWL

Playing their first home game of Indian Women’s League (IWL) this season, Kickstart FC girls rolled past East Bengal 3-1 played at Bangalore Football Stadium today evening. With two back-to-back 3-goal win, Kickstart tops the IWL points table. 

It was the talented Karishma Shirvolkar again who drew the first blood in the dying moments of first-half regulation time from a misunderstanding from East Bengal defence. 

After changing ends, Kickstart ensured their cushion goal again from Karishma. She then completed her hat-trick in the 90th minute after East Bengal scored a consolation goal via Sulanjana Raul. 

Kickstart play their next game against Sports Odisha on Thursday, December 21, which also happens to be a home game.

Kickstart beat HOPS, secure semi final spot in IWL

Kickstart FC Media 

Kickstart FC advanced to the semi-final stage of the Indian Women's League by defeating HOPS FC, Delhi with a score of 2-1 in the quarter-final match held in Ahmedabad. The opening goal was scored by Kaviya Pakkirisamy for Kickstart, but HOPS FC managed to equalize in the second half. However, substitute Kioko Elizabeth scored the winning goal in injury time, securing Kickstart FC's place in the semi-final.

Before the match, Coach Langam Chaoba Devi made one change to the line-up that won against CRPF FC in the last league stage match. Kaviya replaced Susmita Lepcha in the starting eleven.

In the first half, Kickstart FC dominated the game, keeping most of the action in HOPS FC's half. There was an early goal scare in the Kickstart FC penalty box due to a mix-up, but it was eventually cleared by the goalkeeper Maibam Linthoingambi Devi. After that, Kickstart FC put immense pressure on HOPS FC to find the opener. In the 17th minute, Sonia Mark delivered a good cross after some excellent work on the flanks. The HOPS FC goalkeeper parried it away, but it fell to Kaviya, who took a shot that deflected off the woodwork and found the back of the net. Despite taking the lead, Kickstart FC continued their pursuit of a second goal, but HOPS FC's defense held strong against all threats. In the 43rd minute, Kaviya's cross from the right flank hit the woodwork and fell to Sonia Marak, who set up Astam with a nice pass. However, Astam's shot missed the target. The first half ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of Kickstart FC, with six minutes of injury time added.

The second half started with HOPS FC intensifying their efforts to find the equalizer, putting immense pressure on Kickstart FC's defense. In the 62nd minute, they succeeded in scoring the equalizing goal through Renu Rani. Following HOPS FC's goal, Kickstart made substitutions, bringing in Babita Devi for Sonia Marak, Kioko Elizabeth for Renuka, and Susmita Lepcha for Kaviya. In the 85th minute, Saru Limbu, who had been in outstanding form during the league stages, sent a precise through ball to Bibicha Devi, who passed it on to Kioko Elizabeth. Unfortunately, her attempt was cleared off the goal line by the HOPS FC defense, averting the danger. However, in the 90+1' minute, Banti Sharma's high ball into the HOPS FC penalty box was headed in by Kioko Elizabeth, extending Kickstart FC's lead to 2-1. After taking the injury-time lead, Kickstart FC controlled the game and tried to increase their advantage, but HOPS FC's defense managed to hold on, and the final whistle blew with a score of 2-1 in favor of Kickstart FC.

In the semi-final, Kickstart FC will face the winners of the match between Sethu, Madurai, and East Bengal FC.

Captain Dalima Chhiber of Kickstart FC was awarded the Hero of the Match title for her outstanding performance.

 

Kickstart earns dominating win against Hans Women FC

AIFF Media

Kickstart maintained their winning run after beating Hans Women FC 0-4 tonight in the Hero Indian Women's League at the Kalinga Stadium. Hans suffered another loss as they are yet to find winning ways in the competition this season.

Kickstart made a quick start to the game as they bagged the lead as soon as the 7th minute in the game when Roja got herself one on one with the Hans custodian and did no mistake to slot it home.

Thereafter the Karnataka-based side took the momentum of the game but failed to increase their lead as they were unable to capitalize on the chances created. 

Before the lemon break, Kickstart got their best chance to double the lead when they were awarded a spot-kick but the former failed to turn into fruit. 

After the breather Kickstart seemed to be with a better composure as they doubled the lead within the 48th minute. Babysana struck a screamer from yards away to make it 0-2 for her side.

Just at the edge of the hour mark Kiranbala Chanu made it 0-3 for Kickstart as she rightly utilized a howler from Hans custodian Tanvi Mavani. Minutes after the lead increased to 0-4 as substitute Lawmching found the net from distance in the 60th minute.

The high press from Kickstart rattled the porous Hans defense forcing too many mistakes inside the box. Hans made a change in their custodian side and this turned out to be a saviour for the losing side as they refrained from conceding more.

After this loss, Hans continues to remain at the bottom of the points table as Kickstart maintains the third spot with 6 wins in 7 games.

Kickstart FC take on Odisha Police today

AIFF Media 

The Karnataka side Kickstart FC is all set to take on Odisha Police tomorrow (May 02, 2022) in the Hero Indian Women’s League at the 7th Battalion Stadium. Both the teams will eye full points as they come from the loss in their last matches.

Kickstart head coach Amrutha said, “Odisha Police also have a better side with experienced players and an experienced coach. So we have to give our 100% and we have prepared to do the same.”

The Kickstart gaffer is satisfied with the team’s campaign as she said, “Yes, our team has performed well and we had a little mistake while defending in the last matçh. Now we are working on that and ready to solve that area also.”

Odisha Police head coach Shradhanjali Samantaray urges her team to come up with a winning mentality while facing Kickstart FC. She said, “We will be playing against Kickstart which is one of the balanced team and we have to keep the possession and keep the winning mentality.”

Odisha will go all out to snatch full points as their gaffer echoed, “The approach will be to get full points from the game.”

Quizzed about her team’s campaign so far in the HIWL coach Samantaray seemed quite unsatisfied. She said, “No, we are not happy with our performance and lots of injuries have affected the team. Injury is the biggest concern in our team.”

Kickstart lose to Sethu FC in IWL

AIFF Media 

Sethu FC collected crucial three points against Kickstart FC in their Hero Indian Women’s League 2021-22 clash at the Capital Ground in Bhubaneswar on Thursday, April 28. 

Kioko Elizabeth Katungwa opened the scoring for the Madurai-based side early in the 6th minute. The Kenyan controlled a deflected cross perfectly inside the box and fired in an unstoppable volley from close range to make it 1-0.

Elizabeth went on to double the lead for Sethu FC just before half-time. The forward converted from the left side of the post after Grace Lalrampari Hauhnar provided her with a perfect assist. 

Moments later, Kickstart pulled one back through Kshetrimayum Margaret Devi. The skipper applied some beautiful technique and struck the ball with her first touch from distance. The Sethu goalkeeper could not judge the awkward lift of the ball and it eventually landed into the back of the net.

Kickstart maintained majority of the ball possession throughout the game, but could not avert Sethu’s relentless waves of attack. The scoreline remained 2-1 until full time in Sethu FC’s favour as the side grabbed their fourth consecutive win of the Hero IWL season.

 

Kickstart grab last-gasp win over Odisha Sports in IWL

AIFF Media 

High-flying Kickstart FC picked up a last-gasp 1-0 win against Odisha Sports in their 3rd clash of Hero Indian Women’s League 2022 at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday, April 23.

The Karnataka-based side started the game on the stronger foot, displaying good passages of play on occasions. Kickstart had four of their seven attempts on target in the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net. On the other hand, Odisha Sports too found a couple of breakthroughs, but couldn’t capitalise from either.

After finishing 0-0 in the first 45 minutes, the two sides looked all set for a solid second half. Kickstart managed 16 shots on goal. Credit to Odisha Sports defence, the score line remained unchanged until the dying minutes of the game.

On the 90th minute, Irom Prameshwori Devi found space on the right flank and delivered a dangerous cross inside the box. The sudden force of the cross led to confusion between Odisha Sports’ defenders and Asem Roja Devi found herself in an advantageous position. The forward quickly reacted and lobbed the ball over Odisha Sports goalkeeper Sasmita Parida to give her side a crucial lead.

Odisha Sports had very little time left to equalise and, in the end, settled for an upsetting first defeat of the Hero IWL season. Meanwhile, Kickstart made it three wins in as many games, rubbing shoulders with league leaders Gokulam Kerala.

 

Kickstart, Odisha Sports aim to maintain unbeaten runs

 AIFF Media 

High-flying Kickstart FC take on Odisha Sports in their next Hero Indian Women’s League 2022 clash at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

The team from Bengaluru are coming on the back of two wins in a row and have a fully fit squad against Odisha Sports. Focusing on the upcoming games, Head Coach Amrutha expressed her thoughts on the team’s preparations.

“All the upcoming matches are very important for us. Odisha Sports is a very good side, and they have a lot of experienced Indian players. So, we need to be more compact defensively in the next match,” she quoted ahead of the match.

Additionally, Amrutha also spoke about the areas the team has worked upon to improve after the previous game. “We have concentrated more in the last preparatory sessions on the transitions from defence to attack. Now I hope it will work in the next match.”

Odisha Sports too are unbeaten in their Hero IWL campaign so far with a draw and win to their name. Head Coach Gitanjali Khuntia spoke about the areas of improvement she sees in her side. “Our back four and goalkeeper are experienced players, and they are doing well. Only in the final third, we are lacking in finishing, so we have to improve that in the next match.”

While giving her assessment of the opponents and the approach her side will take, Khuntia added, “The opponents are a balanced team, so we have to keep the balance between all the thirds to score early. We will try to score early to get three points from this game.”

The game will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel at 7:30 PM (IST).

Kickstart maintains winning streak after thumping win over Sirvodem

AIFF Media 

Kickstart maintain their winning streak as they hand Sirvodem a second consecutive defeat after a dominant 7-0 win in the Hero Indian Women’s League at the Capital Ground on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. 

The Karnataka-based side made a quick and dominating start as they scored as many as three goals within the first quarter of the game. Winger Kaviya opened the scoring on the 6th minute, followed by an own goal from Sirvodem defender Sharda a couple of minutes later. Kaviya once again bagged a goal contribution as her inch-perfect cross on the 12th minute was finely tapped in by Kiranbala. 

Kaviya ran riots along the right-wing forcing the Sirvodem defence to stumble with the latter’s goalkeeper Afsan Ashiq fumbling frequently. The goal shower continued with forward Roja Devi perfectly utilising the Sirvodem custodian’s howler to increase the lead to 4-0 within the 17th minute.  

Kickstart kept a large proportion of the possession all through the game with their continued domination, rattling the Goan side. Babysana pulled the strings from the midfield as the Karnataka-based side orchestrated waves of attacks, one of which led Prameshwori Irom to score the fifth goal on the 25th minute.

Minutes before the halftime break, Indian international Roja Devi earned a brace for herself as she found the back of the net, making it a six-goal lead for Kickstart FC, going into the breather.

Changing over, Sirvodem came out with a lot more intent and held their shape for large parts of the game. They kept their opponents at bay, preventing Kickstart from scoring more until substitute Lawmching found the net with less than 10 minutes of regulation time left on the clock.

With this win, Kickstart climb to second on the Hero IWL table with six points from two matches, and a goal difference of nine.

Dominant Kickstart kick-off Hero IWL campaign in style

AIFF Media 

Kickstart FC started their campaign in the Hero Indian Women’s League (HIWL) with a dominant display, registering a 3-1 victory against debutant PIFA SC.

PIFA SC started the game deep down the defence keeping Kickstart at bay. The Karnataka-based side created a lot of chances as they kept Anjali busy under the PIFA post. It was finally at the 23’ minute that the deadlock was broken when defender Nirmal Devi scored a screamer from around 40 yards or more – already a contender for the goal of the tournament.

Forward Parameswari Irom doubled the lead for Kickstart in the 33rd minute. But the joy lasted seconds as PIFA pulled back one in the next move the same minute itself -- PIFA forward Nissilia sent it at the back of the net after she received an inch-perfect cross from the right-wing.

Thereafter the game opened as both sides continued to create plenty of chances. Kickstart utilized their wings well but lacked in their finishing while PIFA continued to build from their back.

Getting back from the halftime break, Kickstart seemed sharper as they kept on pressing looking for the insurance goal. PIFA SC lost too many balls in their midfield making it easier for their rivals.

Zairem of PIFA got the first booking of the evening for bringing down Kaviya illegally near the hour mark. It was seconds later that Kaviya sealed the fate of the match in the 58th minute. Nirmala lobbed the ball inside the box and with PIFA keeper Anjali fumbling, Kavya was quick to capitalise.

 

 

Sabitra Bhandari double inspires Gokulam Kerala to Hero IWL final

AIFF Media 

Gokulam Kerala FC reached the Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) final with a stunning 3-0 win in the second semi-final, dethroning defending champions Sethu FC at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday (February 10, 2020). 

Manisha Kalyan broke the deadlock with a brilliant free-kick before Sabitra Bhandari added the second a minute before half-time. The Nepal international rubberstamped Gokulam’s place in the final by adding a third goal late in the second half.  

Gokulam Kerala are now set to play their maiden IWL final, where they will be taking on Manipur’s KRYPHSA FC. 

The Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) final between KRYPHSA FC (Manipur) and Gokulam Kerala (Kerala) will take place on Friday (14 February, 2020) at the Bangalore Football Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 2:00 PM IST.

Ratanbala brace helps KRYPHSA reach Hero IWL final

AIFF Media

Manipur-based Kangchup Road Young Physical and Sports Association (KRYPHSA) FC reached their maiden Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) final after a 3-1 win over Mumbai’s Kenkre FC in the first semi-final at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday (February 10, 2020). 

Ratanbala Devi scored a brace to fire KRYPHSA into a 2-0 lead before Jyoti pulled one back in stunning fashion for Kenkre. Roja Devi added Kryphsa’s third in the second half, which served as an insurance goal to see them through. 

Ratanbala Devi was adjudged to be the Hero of the Match for her match-winning brace.

Kenkre enter Hero IWL semifinal with win over BUFC, Sandhiya's four-goal haul takes Sethu too to semis

AIFF Media

Kenkre FC booked their place in the semi-finals of the 4th Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) after registering a 2-1 win over local outfit BUFC in their final Group B fixture at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Thursday (February 06, 2020).

Kenkre’s Asha Kumari opened the scoring before Techi Akung doubled their advantage. Amulya Kamal pulled one back for Bangalore, but that served as nothing more than a consolation. 

Earlier today, defending champions Sethu FC too confirmed their place in the semifinals in style after registering a dominant 6-0 victory over Baroda Football Academy.

Sethu’s Sandhiya had a clinical afternoon in front of goal, bagging four, with Amsavalli and Karthika adding the remaining two.

Kickstart cruise to four-goal win over BBK DAV, KRYPHSA edge past Kolhapur to maintain perfect record

AIFF Media

KRYPHSA FC, having already qualified for the Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) semi-finals, maintained their winning run and wrapped up a perfect record in Group A by seeing off FC Kolhapur City by a goal to nil (1-0) at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Wednesday. 

Ratanbala Devi scored what turned out to be the winner in the 19th minute.

Earlier today, Kickstart FC registered a solid 4-0 victory over BBK DAV in their last Hero Indian 
Women’s League (IWL) Group A fixture as both teams close out their campaign.

The match was thoroughly dominated by the Karnataka side, with the result never looking in doubt. Mamta’s free-kick from about 30 yards rattled the crossbar, much to BBK’s momentary relief.
The writing had been on the wall for a while and the deadlock was broken in the 40th minute by Mona, who finish to a speculative cross caught Radhika Khodre in goal off-guard as it gently rolled past her.

Just a minute later, another cross paid dividend and it was Kavya P. this time with a clinical header to double the advantage going into the break.

Kickstart earned a penalty in the 57th minute for a handball and despite Renu’s conversion from 12 yards, the goal was ruled out for an infringement by a flurry of Kickstart shirts.

She got her goal, however, in the 83rd minute with a fine solo effort, going past three BBK DAV defenders all by herself before slotting it to the keeper’s right.

Kavya P added her second to make it 4-0 in the 90th minute and finished off the game in style.

Kolhapur defeat Baroda to register first win, Kenkre ride on Soumya's brace to overcome Sreebhumi

AIFF Media 

FC Kolhapur City registered their first Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) victory of the season after overcoming Baroda Football Academy by a 2-0 score line at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday (February 3, 2020).

Lhingneilam Kipgen opened Kolhapur’s account on the 24th minute before Subhadra Sahu put them in cruise control on the 70th-minute mark. 

Kenkre FC moved a step closer towards rubberstamping their place in the semi-finals by registering a 3-1 victory over Bengal’s Sreebhumi FC.

Skipper Soumya Guguloth scored a brace before Aarti pulled one back for Sreebhumi to make it anyone’s game. Asha Kumari added a third early in the second half for Kenkre and allowed them to sail on the two-goal cushion towards three points.

KRYPHSA outplay Baroda to reclaim pole position, Kenkre bounce back with win over Bidesh XI

AIFF Media

Kryphsa reclaimed pole position in group A of the Hero Indian Women's League 2019-20 with a scintillating 4-0 victory over Baroda Football Acadamy at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Friday (January 31, 2020). 

After the first half ended goalless despite Kryphsa dominating proceedings, Roja Devi (57') opened the scoreline before Anju Tamang (76') capitalised on an error from rival custodian Afshan Ashiq to double the lead. Three minutes later, Ratanbala Devi (79') slotted a spot-kick calmly to tighten their grip on the match before Ranjana Chanu (90'+2') headed home the final goal. 

In the second match of the day, Kenkre FC registered a solid 3-1 victory over Bidesh XI Sports Club. Soumya Guguloth broke the deadlock before second-half strikes from Jyoti and Puja Karmakar wrapped up the three points. Stessi Cardozo grabbed a consolation goal for Bidesh deep into stoppage time.

Kickstart FC register slender victory over Kolhapur City, Sethu FC score nine against BBK DAV

AIFF Media

Kickstart FC registered a narrow 1-0 victory over Kolhapur City in their Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) Group A fixture on Thursday. Kavya P. scored the solitary goal of the match, in what was a moment of mesmerizing brilliance. 

The first half remained goal-less as both teams created chances, with Kickstart enjoying greater opportunities to score. However, some fine goalkeeping from Kolhapur keeper Shreya Hooda ensured the score line remained level.  

Earlier, Sethu FC registered a gargantuan 9-0 victory over BBK DAV to get their campaign back on track. 

The defending champions were stunned by Krypsha FC in their previous outing, but the Madurai outfit displayed great character to emerge from the shackles of defeat.

The match was one-way traffic through and through, with two quickfire goals from Sandhiya and K. Sumithra, both strikes being a carbon copy of one another, gave Sethu a two-goal cushion inside 18 minutes. 

It was Sandhiya again who pounced upon a loose ball inside the 18-yard box and rounded the keeper to make it 3-0 in the last minute of the half as Sethu went into the breather with a convincing 3-0 lead. 

Karthika’s left-footed drive into the bottom corner made it 4-0 in the 50th minute, which came before Sumithra’s dazzling solo effort, in which she went past five BBK defenders to make it five at the hour mark. 

Sandhiya completed her hat-trick in the 81st minute, yet again pouncing on a loose ball and displaying nerves of steel -- rounding the keeper yet again to make it 6-0. 

The floodgates continued to crumble as Karthika made it 7-0 with an audacious chip from outside the box. Just a minute later, substitute Kunti Kumari made it 8-0 after she was fed on goal by Sandhiya. 

A jump in time added the ninth as Karthika joined the hat-trick club by scoring her third from an 89th minute corner. The match ended soon after as Sethu FC registered a monumental 9-0 victory.

Gokulam run riot against Kenkre FC, KRYPHSA stun defending champions Sethu FC

AIFF Media 

Gokulam Kerala FC ran rout in their Hero Indian Women’s League fixture against Kenkre FC, registering a gargantuan 10-1 victory at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Tuesday, January 28. 

Gokulam’s Nepali striker Sabitra Bhandari was the star of the show, as she scored five goals. Karishma Shirvoikar notched-up a hat-trick for herself, while Manisha netted two more to make it 10 for the Kerala side. 

KRYPHSA FC registered a stunning 2-0 victory over defending champions Sethu FC. Ratanbala Devi scored in either half to wrap up the three points, leaving the champions contemplating and wounded.

Kickstart sustain momentum with a win over Baroda, BBK DAV play out an entertaining draw against Kolhapur

AIFF Media

Punjab’s BBK DAV Football Club played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Football Club Kolhapur City in their Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) Group A fixture at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday, 27th January.

Lhingneilam Kipgen broke the deadlock for BBK in the 74th minute before Madhu Bala equalised for Kolhapur ten minutes later.

In the second game of the day, Bengaluru’s Kickstart FC Karnataka earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Baroda Football Academy in their second group fixture. Mona scored the solitary goal of the game in the 68th minute.

BUFC survive late Bidesh XI resilience to earn an important win, Gokulam Kerala overcome Sreebhumi by a solitary goal

AIFF Media 

Bangalore United Football Club (BUFC) fought off late resilience from Bidesh XI Sports Club to register a 2-1 win and get their 4th Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) campaign underway.

A brace from Satyabati Khadia gave BUFC a two-goal cushion, but a late strike from Bidesh’s Sushmita Jadhav accounted for a nervy finish.

Both sides started on the balance, with the game being dominated mostly in midfield. However, it was BUFC who drew first blood in the 21st minute. A defence-splitting through ball from skipper Amalya Kamal put Satyabati Khadia through on goal. 

In the second match of the day Gokulam Kerala FC registered a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sreebhumi Football Club to get their Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) campaign underway with three points. Sabitra Bhandari scored the solitary goal of the game in the 67th minute.

The first half was largely dominated by Gokulam in terms of possession, but Sreebhumi did ever so well to stand their ground and keep their opponents at bay. The game remained goalless going into the breather, with Gokulam in the ascendency.

In the second half, the tempo remained the same as the Malabarians continued to overload the final third but risked getting caught on the counter. However, the strategy paid dividends not very long after.

Kenkre ride on Soumya hat-trick to register win over Odisha Police, Baroda FC cruise past BBK DAV

AIFF Media 

Kenkre FC overcame Odisha Police by an overwhelming margin of 4-1 at the Bangalore Football Stadium in the Garden City today (January 25, 2020). Skipper Soumya Guguloth (25', 39', 69') scored a fantastic hat-trick alongside Samiksha (45'+1') to take an unassailable 4-0 lead for Kenkre FC before Jabamani Soren (87') scored one late goal for Odisha Police.

In the second game of the day, Baroda Football Academy registered a stunning 3-0 victory over Punjab’s BBK DAV Football Club. BBK’s Mahima Bishnoi scored an unfortunate own goal before Sushmita Lepcha and Akanksha Kandalkar wrapped up the three points for Baroda.