SEALS Cup: Faculty of Arts Teams Struggle So Far

Grace Dolor

Teams from the faculty of Arts teams have continue to face challenges in this session’s SEALS Cup tournament as Matchday three concludes. Each team gave their all, but they struggled to find their footing while showing glimpses of potential.

The English team had a tough run, losing 0-2 to Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (AEE) and then facing a heavier defeat against Microbiology with a scoreline of 0-3. These back-to-back losses put them in a challenging position as they could only fight for an unnecessary third place on the group table by winning against Pharmacy in their third match. They fought, however, their fight was unable to save them from their disappointing 0-2 defeat to Pharmacy leaving them with 0 points and conceding 7 goals with no single goal throughout the tournament. 

Philosophy, the defending champions, had a mixed bag of results in this year’s SEALS Cup. Their first game against Veterinary Medicine saw them lose narrowly, 0-1. However, they bounced back in their second match against Electrical Engineering with a convincing 2-0 victory. Despite this win, Philosophy’s fate in the tournament hung by a thread. They were tied on points with Veterinary Medicine, and their qualification for the round of 16 depended on their performance against Statistics.

Unfortunately, Philosophy’s parade in the SEALS Cup came to an abrupt end as they were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Statistics. To compound their woes, Veterinary Medicine won their match against Electrical Engineering, moving to the top of the group table with 6 points. This result left Philosophy with just 4 points, behind Statistics who advanced with 5 points.

Their disqualification from the group stage this season came as a shock to fans of the “best” football team in the University. Could the team’s struggles be attributed to the fact that many of their key players graduated last session, leaving a gap that the current squad is striving to fill? Only time can tell.

History managed to hold Mechanical Engineering to a 1-1 draw in their first match but could not maintain their form against Psychology, losing 1-2. They managed to get a 1-0 victory against Nursing, moving them to 4 points, with Psychology at 6 points and Mechanical Engineering at 2 points. This result left them at the mercy of Psychology’s win or draw against Mechanical Engineering to advance to the next round. However, their hopes of advancing to the next stage were tragically dashed by Mechanical Engineering’s 1-0 win against Psychology.

Archaeology’s match against Civil Engineering ended in a narrow 0-1 defeat. Their next match against Public Health saw a disappointing 1-4 loss leaving one of the best teams in the faculty in an embarrassing position as they will be unable to advance to the round of 16 even if they win their next match against Computer Science.

Linguistics experienced contrasting fortunes in their matches. They suffered a heavy 0-5 loss to Industrial and Production Engineering (IPE) but managed to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Adult Education (ADE). Despite their fight, they are also out of the tournament without having played their third group stage match. They currently hold the position as the team that has both conceded the most and scored the most goals in this season’s SEALS Cup.

Classics had two goalless draws, first against Petroleum Engineering and then against Chemical Engineering. While these results show defensive solidity, the lack of goals highlights an area needing improvement if they hope to advance. Their qualification for the round of 16 relies heavily on a win against Agric Economics but they seem to be lacking the resources to put the ball in the net judging from their previous matches.

As the tournament progresses, each team must reflect on their performances and strategise for the next season of the SEALS Cup, and maybe the next round for Classics if they are able to put on a good performance in their next game. 

Could the wobbly performance of teams from AFAS be blamed on the lack of a sports director as Esther* from the department of Archeology and Anthropology told AFAS Press? Or could the female teams make the faculty proud and refute this claim? We can only find out as the tournament progresses.

Editors Note: (Names that have been asterisked have been changed for anonymity purposes)