Indian women's football team eyeing last 8 finish in Asiad

Mumbai, July 14 (IANS) The Indian women's football team is targeting at least a quarterfinal finish in the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea.

The team's preparatory camp is in full swing at the Cooperage Stadium here under newly-appointed head coach Tarun Roy. The July 11 to Aug 25 is being attended by 35 list of probables.

"A quarterfinal finish is the least we expect. Of course, we want to go the distance, that's what everybody plays for but we are setting our goals. Quarterfinal is a must and we take it forward from there," said Roy, who will lead the team to China for an exposure tour from Aug 25 to Sep 10 before heading to the Asiad which starts Sep 19.

"Stress will be given on fitness and match related practice. The girls need to get back in shape first as some of them were not part of the nationals in Assam. We are working hard at it. Fitness is key to success."

Roy was one of the chief scouts in the nationals held in the districts of Golaghat and Dibrugarh in May.

"The list of probables has players who have done well in nationals. We are looking at a bigger pool and the very best will be making the final cut. I am trying to inculcate a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation and the girls are taking time to adjust. I am glad that we have sufficient time to fine tune ourselves before it is show time," added the coach.

The list of 35 probables:

Goalkeepers: Okram Roshni Devi (Manipur), Aditi Chauhan (Delhi), Tikina Samal (Odisha), Pushpa Tirkey (Jharkhand).

Defenders: Romi Devi, Radharani Devi, Umapati Devi (all from Manipur), Ashalata Devi (Delhi), Suprava Samal (Railways), Tuli Goon (West Bengal), Lako Bhutia (Sikkim), Nirmala (Haryana), Sumitra Marandi (Jharkhand).

Midfielders: Kamala Devi (Railways), Premi Devi, Bembem Devi, Mandakini Devi (all from Manipur), Supriya Routray, Manisa Panna, Montesori Chanu (all from Railways), Amoolya Kamal (Karnataka), Swati Rawat (Delhi), Neha Kumari (Bihar), Dorothi Oriya (Assam), Margaret Castanha (Goa), Manpreet Kaur (Railways), Indumathi Kathiresan (Pondicherry).

Forwards: Parmeshwori Devi, Rinaroy Devi, Dangmei Grace, Bala Devi (all from Manipur), Jyoti Burrett (Delhi), Pinky Magar, Sasmita Malik (both from Ralways), Jabamani Soren (Odisha).

Standbyes: Durva Vahia (Goalkeeper -- from Maharashtra), Paromita Sit (Midfielder -- from Karnataka), Kavita Devi (Froward - from Haryana), Gita Das (Forward - from West Bengal), Nandhini Munusamy (Forward - from Tamil Nadu).