UNIMALNEWS | Lhokseumawe - The futsal team from Malikussaleh University (Unimal) achieved a notable victory during the Aceh Regional Student Sports Week (POMDA) 2023. The Unimal's athletes progressed to the finals after triumphing over the reigning champions, Syiah Kuala University (USK) in the quarterfinals and Ar-Raniry Islamic University (UINAR) in the semifinals at the POMDA Aceh championship held on Thursday, (21/09/2023).

Held at the Garuda Lhokseumawe Futsal field, the formidable USK team, the reigning POMDA Aceh 2022 champion, had an early 'pre-final' clash against Unimal. Unimal had been a finalist in the previous POMDA but fell to USK. This encounter emerged as Unimal, the Group A champion, faced USK, the Group B runner-up.

The highly competitive quarterfinal match began favorably for USK, leading 1-0 early in the first half. However, five minutes before the first half's end, Unimal made a comeback, taking the lead with a score of 2-1.

The second half witnessed an intense exchange of attacks. Both teams played with great vigor, each managing to score a goal. Ultimately, the second half concluded with a score of 3-2 in favor of Unimal. Subsequently, Unimal faced UINAR in the semifinals.

Ferdy Saputra, the manager of Unimal's futsal team, mentioned that despite UINAR having a Pro Futsal League player, the team's morale remained resilient. He stated, "In fact, the players became even more motivated after successfully defeating the formidable reigning champion USK, known for their resilience and high-level skills," said Ferdy.

The semifinal match turned out to be less intense compared to the battle against USK. The UINAR team struggled against Unimal's ball control, resulting in a significant score difference after the first half, 5-1. The UINAR team, supported by Ubaidillah, the sole national league player in POMDA 2023, couldn't withstand Unimal's cohesive teamwork, culminating in a final score of 8-2.

Looking ahead to the final, scheduled for Friday, September 22, 2023, the host, Unimal, will face Politeknik Indonesia Venezuela (Poliven) that previously defeated Teuku Umar University (UTU) 5-3. [fzl/kur]