Murdoch University goalkeeper Raj Sagar believes there are plenty of positives to take from their semi-final defeat in the Dubai International Academy City Football Cup.

Murdoch were denied a place in the final following a 3-1 loss to eventual winners, the University of Wollongong, in the last-four.

Murdoch had opened their group campaign on a winning note with a brace from Ayman Naouli plus solo strikes from Seif Abulla and Tams Ebi goals sealing an impressive 4-0 victory over Amity University.

They booked their place in the semi-finals without even kicking a ball with a walkover over SP Jain.

Overall, it was a display Sagar, 18, was pleased with and he hopes his troops can build on their success when the new term begins later this month.

“It’s a big tournament for us as a lot of strong sides competed and it was a good experience,” he said. “We gave it a good go but I still feel there’s a lot of room for improvement.

“We need to improve our defending and attacking. If we can do this we can be successful going into the new season because I feel the chemistry of the team has improved immensely.”

Murdoch captain and centre-back Olubukoye Temitope Fakeye added: “It was a great learning experience for the team. It was difficult to lose but you win some and lose some.

“The future looks bright and there’s a lot of talent in the team. We have a lot of opportunities to grow and with support from the university, the sky is the limit.”