Women’s National Team goes unbeaten in “Our Game” friendly tournament

April 14, 2021 Andre Khatchaturian Sports 0

The Armenian men’s national soccer team grabbed the world’s attention in late March after winning three consecutive matches against Liechtenstein, Iceland and Romania to kick off 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Less than two weeks later, the women’s national team is showing they are a force to be reckoned with as well.

Last week, the Armenian women’s national soccer team participated in the “Our Game” international friendly tournament in Armenia along with Lebanon, Jordan and Lithuania and completed three games without a loss and a second-place finish.

In the first match on April 8th, Armenia was aided by an own goal and a strike by 20-year-old Maral Artin as they went on to defeat Lebanon, 2-0. Two days later, captain Olga Osipyan cashed in as Armenia tied Jordan, 1-1. Osipyan struck again in the final match, as Armenia played to a 2-2 draw against Lithuania, who finished first in the tournament.

Osipyan was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring two goals over the three matches.

The results were a step in the right direction for the “Havakakan,” who entered the tournament ranked 116th in the FIFA world rankings. Armenia has not competed in a major world competition since the 2013 Women’s Euro qualifiers, where they finished last in their group with an 0-8 record. In those eight games, they only scored two goals and conceded a whopping 44. The women’s national team, like the men’s team, has never qualified for the Women’s World Cup or the Women’s Euro tournament. 

That said, the squad’s performance this past week gives some hope to a nation that has struggled against the best in the world on the pitch. With the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification tournament kicking off in September, the Armenian women’s national team hopes that their solid performance this week will give them momentum to enter the qualifiers—something the “Havakakan” has not done since 2010.

Andre Khatchaturian

Andre Khatchaturian

Andre Khatchaturian is a seasoned digital content producer and the sports correspondent for The Armenian Weekly. He is the founder of Camak Media, a multimedia company specializing in drone footage, video content and photography for small businesses. Prior to this, he produced video and written content at the New England Sports Network (NESN). He has also provided coverage at three Super Bowls and more than a dozen high-profile UFC fights. Andre is from Glendale, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He moved to Boston in 2013, where he attended Boston University and graduated with a master's degree in broadcast journalism.

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