The SLSFA U19 Division I Group A saw reigning champions Maris Stella College stamp their authority at the top while St. Joseph’s College booked a semi-final spot as the two schools blew away the competition.

Results & Points Table – U19 Division I Schools Football – ThePapare.com

Fixtures and results of the U19 Division 1 Schools Football Championship – The Ultimate Crown of Schools Football

Maris Stella College

Maris Stella were one of the most impressive teams across the entire competition, maintaining a perfect record of 6 wins out of 6 and topping Group A.

After starting off the season by trouncing Benedicts 4-0 in their own backyard, they kept their winning momentum right throughout the campaign aided by one of the meanest defenses in the Division. The Maristonians conceded their only goal in their comeback 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s College, which was also one of their standout performances this season.

Skipper Anjana Gunawardana tops the goal scoring for the boys from Negombo with 6 goals, and forward Thathsara Fernando also netting 3 during the campaign. The possibility of retaining the championship for them is very high.

WATCH LIVE: Maris Stella College v Holy Cross College – Semi Finals | 19th Dec

St. Joseph’s College

The highest scoring team in the division, St. Joseph’s blew away opponents on several occasions to qualify for the semis with 15 points out of a possible 18.

Massive 7-1 and 6-0 wins over Wickramabahu College and Isipathana respectively showcased their goal scoring prowess with their two forwards Sachintha Maduranga and Asela Madushan registering 6 and 3 goals respectively in those games alone.

The pair has netted 15 goals throughout the campaign with Maduranga topping the division in terms of scoring with 9 goals and Madushan scoring 6.

At the back though they have been able to keep just 2 clean sheets which will be a concern going into the semis.

WATCH LIVE: Hameed Al Husseinie College v St.Joseph’s College – Semi Finals | 19th Dec

Kingswood College

Kingswood College had a respectable campaign where they managed to record 10 points courtesy of 3 wins and a draw.

They lost the games against St. Joseph’s and Maris Stella but played well against the remainder of the teams in their group.

They were involved in some high scoring fixtures which include a 3-3 draw with Wickramabahu College and a stunning 3-2 win over St. Benedicts.

They were able to keep only one clean sheet throughout the season conceding 10 goals in total. Dulin Wijenarayana topped the scoring with 3 goals.

U19 Division I – Group B Review

Hameed Al Husseinie College who were 2nd best to Maris Stella College in the final last year.

Wickramabahu College

Wickramabahu ended up in 4th place in Group A, registering 6 points courtesy of a win and 3 draws.

Apart from their game against St. Joseph’s where they were put to the sword, they played relatively well. Better defensive work could have got them more points against Isipathana (2-2) and Kingswood (3-3).

Their only win came courtesy of a hard fought 2-1 victory over St. Sebastians.

St. Sebastian’s College

St. Sebastian’s were able to tally up just 4 points with a win and a draw to their name. They were able to get the better of Isipathana (3-1) but struggled against the bigger teams in the group.

St. Benedict’s College

A season to forget for the Bens who were only able to register 3 points coming from 3 draws against St. Sebastian’s, Wickramabahu and Isipathana.

Isipathana College

Isipathana finished at the bottom of the pile in Group A, with 2 points courtesy of a pair of 2-2 draws against St. Benedict’s and Wickramabahu.

They conceded 19 goals throughout the campaign, which was the worst defensive record in the group resulting in them being relegated to Division II for next year.