On a cool, cloudy day perfect for football, Commercii’s first-year football team took to the fields of Hillcrest Sports Campus on 1 March for the annual First Year 7-a-side Tournament, hosted by Tuks Football in collaboration with the Student Sport Committee. With only a few training sessions under their belts and just beginning to gel as a team, our boys stepped into the tournament ready to give it their all — representing the EMS Faculty with pride.

Placed in a competitive group alongside three teams, the Commercii squad started their journey with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to House Education. It was a close game, and the narrow margin showed just how fine the line between victory and defeat can be in tournament football.

The second group stage match turned into a walkover victory, as the opposing team failed to show up, granting Commercii a 3-0 win by default. This result saw our boys progress into the Round of 16, where they would face one of the strongest teams in the tournament — Tower Residence. And what a game it was.

Commercii struck first, taking a 1-0 lead and holding strong defensively for nearly the entire match. The boys dug deep, showing incredible fight and unity despite being relatively new to one another. But in the dying minutes, Tower managed to find an equaliser, sending the match into a tense penalty shootout.

With everything on the line, it was a nerve-wracking back-and-forth from the spot. Our boys gave it everything, but unfortunately, Tower edged us out 4-3 in penalties, ending our run in the tournament.

It stung to fall short — but there was no shame in the loss. Tower went on to reach the final, proving just how tough of an opponent we had faced. More importantly, our Commercii first-years walked off the field with new friendships, shared memories, and an unshakeable team spirit.

In just one tournament, this team laid the groundwork for something special. They may have been strangers at the start, but by the final whistle, they had become brothers — united by their passion for the game and the pride of representing Commercii.

This is just the beginning. And we couldn’t be prouder.