Call from dad gave me confidence, filled me with enthusiasm, says Soumya Guguloth

New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Talented Indian striker Soumya Guguloth shared that a call from her dad made a whole lot of difference to her confidence before the match against Pakistan in the SAFF Women's Championship Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Soumya Guguloth may have scored many goals during her stints in National age-group teams, but the talented striker could not hide her emotions after she scored her first goal for the Senior Women's National Team at the SAFF Women's Championship Kathmandu 2022 on Wednesday.
"I couldn't believe it when I scored. It came straight out from our training sessions, and it came against Pakistan. I am so happy. It made me very emotional, and I could not hold back my tears," said Soumya. "The time when the National Anthem was playing, I had goosebumps. I was desperate to score. I had to."
"Before the match, my father called me to say 'I want you to score today, and beat your opponents.' That provided me with extra push and confidence. But I knew I had to do my job, which the coach had asked me to do. The goal came as a bonus. My parents are so proud today. But I am only playing my role. There are all others who are helping me out," said the striker.
Hailing from Telangana, Soumya started playing football when she was thirteen. She has represented India across age groups since 2015 and is a part of Gokulam Kerala FC in the Indian Women's League in the current season.
A week ago, Soumya signed for European club Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia making her dream come true.
"While on trials, I scored in a match. This was a dream come true for me. I am confident in giving all my efforts and looking forward to learning new things. Be it in practice, or in a trial, or in a match, every time you get to learn something new."
"I am thankful to the AIFF (All India Federation) for providing us with an opportunity to play in the exposure trips. The exposure tours made us super confident, and motivated us to perform better against higher ranked teams," she added.
Soumya mentioned about the influence Bala-Di (Devi) has had on her, and all else. "Bala-Di is my inspiration. It was after her move to Europe that I started to dream of playing abroad." (ANI)