University of Moratuwa

Where Sri Lanka’s brightest mathematical minds come together to produce world-class engineers and architects — and where great athletes hone their sporting skills alongside academic excellence. This is where I transformed setbacks into success, especially as a  Football striker and a 🏉 Rugby field-goal specialist.

At the University of Moratuwa (UOM), my true football journey came alive. Overlooked in high school as a midfielder controlling the rhythm of the game, I reinvented myself as a striker focused purely on victory. With a relentless drive to score and win, I became a decisive finisher who turned matches on their head — yet, with no national selectors attending university games, this talent went largely unnoticed beyond our campus.

Supported by a dedicated coaching staff and a determined squad, I became UOM’s top goal scorer for four consecutive years, earned MVP honors as a freshman, and captained the team in my senior year. We built one of the most underrated yet deadly university football teams in Sri Lanka — a side that dominated its era.

During those four years, we defeated every professional club we faced and maintained an unbeaten record against the Kotalawala Defence Academy, securing victory year after year. Among our proudest moments were thrashing my former high school twice and defeating the reigning Sri Lanka High School Champions during my final season — results that solidified UOM’s place among the most formidable university teams in the country.

Our matches were fierce contests against top universities, military academies, and professional clubs. Though the wider football community missed out, a loyal group of professors, teammates, fans, and our devoted groundsman witnessed unforgettable moments — bicycle kicks, scissor kicks, and long-range solo goals etched forever in memory.

Even though the dream of wearing the national jersey quietly slipped away due to limited scouting, academic commitments, and time, UOM became my proving ground. I earned the University of Moratuwa Sports Colors and the prestigious Sri Lanka University Sports Association (SLUSA) Award — a national university-level recognition for performance in inter-university championships.

My sporting journey didn’t end there.

Invited to join UOM’s 🏉 Rugby team as a placekicker — a specialist role they had long lacked — I embraced a completely new challenge. With no prior rugby experience, I adapted my football technique to the demands of the game and contributed at crucial moments, helping one of the most talented rugby teams in UOM history secure its first-ever University Rugby Championship. That same spirit carried into the following year, when we successfully defended the title.

Competing alongside some of the country’s finest young rugby talent, including youth internationals, I was again honored with University Colors and selected to SLUSA’s Best XV — recognition reserved for Sri Lanka’s top university rugby players — for my precision and composure under pressure.

UOM was where I turned setbacks into triumphs, found my place as a leader and scorer, and ignited a passion for sport that burned brighter than ever — both on the   Football pitch and the 🏉 Rugby field.