Shillong, Aug 23: Meghalaya’s historic campaign in the U-17 Girls’ category of the 65th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament 2026 came to an end on Sunday as Little Star Higher Secondary School of Eastern West Khasi Hills suffered a 6-0 defeat to Mizoram’s NCC 1 BN Aizawl Group in the quarterfinal.
Despite the defeat, the Meghalaya side leaves the tournament having achieved a significant milestone for Eastern West Khasi Hills.
Little Star HSS became the first team from the district to participate in the Subroto Cup, while no boys’ or girls’ team from Eastern West Khasi Hills had previously reached the quarterfinal stage of the prestigious football tournament.
The Meghalaya girls produced an impressive run in the group stage, winning all four of their matches.
They opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Chandigarh before recording an emphatic 8-0 win against ISSO. They then defeated Madhya Pradesh 2-1 before completing the group stage with another 8-0 victory, this time against Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
The four victories saw Meghalaya score 20 goals while conceding just once, earning them a place in the last eight.
Their run eventually came to an end against a strong Mizoram side.
The campaign has also set a new benchmark for school football in Eastern West Khasi Hills, providing a platform for future teams from the district to aim even higher at the national level.
For the players, the tournament offered not only valuable national-level experience but also the opportunity to put their district firmly on the school football map.
39
