By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports. Pictures by REDintern YQ Lee and Tan Jon Han/Red Sports
“Fight on, VJ! Fight on!” VJC players (yellow) celebrate at the goal line after scoring an equalizer deep into stoppage time to force the game into extra time. The defending champions went on to retain their championship with a 4-1 victory in the penalty shootout. (Photo 1 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Jalan Besar Stadium, Wednesday, May 12, 2010 – Defending champions Victoria Junior College (VJC) rose from the dead against Raffles Institution (RI) to retain their A Division Girls’ Football Championship title.
Defeat was on the cards for VJC when RI scored in the first minute through forward Joanne Ho Shu-en and held on to the lead throughout regulation time. However Joanne Chew Xin Yi managed a last-gasp equaliser for VJC two minutes into injury time.
Both teams could not score during extra time and VJC completed the heartbreak for RI by winning the resulting penalty shootout 4-1 to retain their title for a third successive year.
In an earlier group stage encounter, both sides played out a 0-0 stalemate. However any notions of that recurrence were dispelled within 20 seconds of the kickoff.
RI lofted the ball into the VJC box straight from kickoff which caused confusion among the VJC defenders. Forward Joanne Ho reacted the quickest as she headed the ball over the onrushing VJC goalie Karen Sng. Despite a VJC defender’s best efforts to clear off the line, the ball trickled into the left corner of the goal.
Buoyed by the early goal and the strong support from the stands, RI continued to attack their more illustrious opponents and had another opportunity on 11 minutes as winger Clarissa Koh had a shot blocked from inside the box after a corner from the left.
VJC began to settle into the game midway through the first half and created a couple of opportunities.
On 17 minutes, full back Jolene Cheng marauded down the right flank and into the box but her shot was well blocked by an RI defender. 12 minutes later, they went the closest to scoring when captain Sukhanya Sureish’s cross from the left was half-cleared towards midfielder Ho Hui Xin inside the box. However the latter’s curling effort was well held by RI goalie Nurimira Ahmad.
VJC continued into the second half in the same tempo with Sukhanya pulling the strings in midfield and winger Joanne Chew creating havoc with her runs down the left flank.
It was no surprise they created the first goalscoring opportunity of the half when Joanne Chew’s header inside the box was blocked on 37 minutes.
They nearly doubled their lead on 53 minutes when RI goalie Nurimira Ahmad dropped a hopeful 30-metre shot from Ho Hui Xin, but the former did well to retrieve the ball before it went over the goal line.
RI goalscorer Joanne Ho had to toil hard in her lone role upfront and nearly reaped a reward one minute later when she slalomed through the middle and shot inside the box in a one-on-one opportunity with Karen Sng but the latter did superbly to deny her effort.
RI had an opportunity to seal the game with six minutes left when they were awarded a free kick just outside the box after captain Hsiang Cheng Chia was brought down. Cheng Chia’s effort went over the wall but went just wide of the right-hand post.
VJC were not prepared to give up their crown without a fight as they went all out to launch attacks at the RI goal in the closing stages. However when Joanne Chew curled wide of the right-hand post a minute into injury time, it looked like RI would emerge winners this year.
The match had a last twist to the tale though. With seconds left to play, right back Jolene Cheng went on a superb run down the right flank that saw her get past two RI defenders before crossing into the box. The cross evaded Nurimira Ahmad into the path of three VJC players just in front of the goal line, with Joanne Chew getting the vital touch to scramble the ball into the open goalmouth.
The last-gasp equaliser drew raucous celebrations from both the VJC bench and the supporters in the stands. VJC coach Lim Wei Quan was also spotted jumping onto the pitch in delight.
The extra time period of 10 minutes was extended to 20 minutes as the gruelling match appeared to take its toll on both sets of players as they went down on several occasions with cramps.
RI were the bigger casualties as they to play with nine players on the pitch on one occasion. However their defence stood strong to repel any VJC attacks that came into their half.
VJC could have scored in the last minute of extra time but winger Sarah Long’s right wing cross into the box was well cleared by RI full back Theresa Teri Tan.
Ultimately the match had to be decided by the dreaded penalty shootout. Rachel Wong was the first to step up for VJC and she successfully converted her penalty by shooting into the bottom right corner.
RI captain Hsiang Cheng Chia led by example as she equalised the score at 1-1 with a powerful penalty that VJC substitute goalie Siti Rasyiqah got a hand to but could not prevent from going in.
VJC substitute Ella Lim put the ball into the bottom right corner again with her attempt to put the pressure on RI’s next penalty taker, Puah Jing Wen. Jing Wen unfortunately succumbed as she shot wide of the right-hand post.
VJC converted their next penalty to increase their lead to 3-1, putting further pressure on RI. Midfielder Fu Liye stepped up for RI, but her effort down the middle was well parried by Siti Rasyiqah.
It all came down to VJC substitute Siti Amalina Binte Mohd Kotharisa for the all-important penalty that would clinch their crown for a second successive year. She did not disappoint as her effort went in off the right hand post, drawing the whole VJC bench to run onto the pitch in delight. The stands erupted as well with deafening celebrations from the VJC supporters.
VJC coach Lim Wei Quan was visibly overwhelmed with his team’s achievements when interviewed after the match.
“It’s simply amazing. In November, I had nine players. In February, I had 13 players. Here we are in May as champions!” he exclaimed. “This speaks volumes for the efforts of my players, the set-up we have in VJC and the support given to us by our students who came down today.”
On how his team managed to recover from the early goal from RI, he said, “The girls were certainly shell-shocked after conceding so early in the game. They were psychologically affected in the first half. Therefore I had to calm them down at half time and tell them to stop being nervous and start playing their own game. In the end, they managed to do it.”
A victorious VJC captain Sukhanya Sureish also shared her feelings with Red Sports after the trophy presentation.
“We really fought very hard throughout the match,” she said. “Despite conceding the goal, we really believed in ourselves and pushed on during the match.”
“The team went through a lot of downs throughout the whole tournament but we stuck together as a team. Because of that self-belief, we managed to achieve this,” she added.
Meanwhile RI teacher-in-charge Leong Chee Mun lamented what it could have been for his team.
“It was a finely balanced game,” he said. “But the last minute goal we conceded definitely affected our morale which can be seen in extra time.”
However he remained proud of his players.
“Personally I felt the girls played really well and gave VJC a very tough fight. Our goal is to reach the final and they have already achieved this,” he added.
In the 3rd/4th placing match played earlier, St Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) beat Meridian Junior College (MJC) 2-0 to clinch third place in this year’s championship.
Final Score
VJC 1-1 RI (4-1 pen)
Scorers
RI
Joanne Ho Shu-en 1′
VJC
Joanne Chew Xin Yi 70′ + 2
VJC lineup
Karen Sng Hui En (#7, GK), Lynette Gh Jia Ern (#2), Jessica Ting Hui D’Cruz (#5), Rachel Wong Hui Min (#6), Sarah Long Shi Yun (#8), Joanne Chew Xin Yi (#9), Jolene Cheng Joo-Lynn (#11), Sukhanya Sureish (#13, captain), Leo Huang (#14), Ho Hui Xin (#16), Priscilla Tan Hui Yee (#18)
Substitutes: Cheryl Wong Tze-Yin (#1), Jessica Goh Si Jia (#3), Melissa Tsang Li-Ching (#4), Rechelle Wong Rui Xuan (#10), Siti Amalina Binte Mohd Kotharisa (#12), Ella Lim Shilei (#15), Azrina Aris Bte Hamza Aris (#17), Tan Min Yee (#19), Siti Rasyiqah (#20)
RI lineup
Nurimira Ahmad (#1, GK) , Chen Muzhi (#4), Muneerah bte Abdul Razak (#5), Clarissa Koh Cai Lin (#7), Joanne Ho Shu-en (#14), Fu Liye (#16), Chng Yan (#17), Stephanie Loh Hui Ting (#21), Hsiang Cheng Chia (#22, captain), Deborah Yuen Hui Qi (#23), Theresa Teri Tan Zhuo Hui (#40)
Substitutes: Wang Zi (#9), Pauline Cheng Ochura (#10), Aqilah bte Abdul Rahim (#11) Liyana Nabilah bte Zainal (#12), Ganesan Shankari (#13), Royyani bte Abdul Razak (#18), Sharon Preethi George (#19), Afiqah Bte Zainal (#20), Puah Jing Wen (#36)
Joanne Ho (RI #14, white) beats Sng Hui En (VJC #7, GK) to the ball to score early in the match. (Photo 2 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Players and supporters from RI celebrating their early lead over the defending champions. (Photo 3 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
For more photos, go to the next page
We mustn’t forget the hardwork, determination, never-say-die attitude that the VJ soccer girls showed too. Trailing 1-0 so early isn’t easy to cope with, and they recovered from their mistakes and kept fighting on. They had quite a few shots at goal, but were always denied by Raffles. 30 seconds from losing the finals, they never lost heart even though VJ supporters kinda did… So it was really a heartwarming match to watch, seeing both teams play the beautiful game. Can’t wait for the next season. Congrats to both teams once again (:
The Raffles soccer girls team has really shown everyone how hard work and effort will get one to the top. They played valiantly, and to the supporters, it was an emotional and inspirational match. Watching the raffles girls show their grit, display their skills and most importantly playing with their heart, the end-result seemed to have assumed a secondary place as what is really important is that one meets the challenge in its face and attempts to bring it down.
Their unwavering fortitude is what sports is all about, bravo!
Congrats to VJC for winning the title too
this article is awful. riddled with mistakes and childish phrases. most of what you wrote didn’t even happen. pls dont exploit us young schoolgirls’ interest and passion with terrible ‘articles’. someone should file an official complain to stop you from making anymore coverage. this is unacceptable.
Your complaint is unspecific and unhelpful.
If there are FACTUAL errors, please point them out. We will fix them.
If you disagree with the opinions, well let’s agree to disagree, because there is no such thing as an objective article because everyone sees things through a particular set of lenses coloured by their background.
The writer of this article has shown a consistent record of good, credible articles. I value his stories and his contributions in building up awareness of the A Division football scene, especially the boys’ championship.
Given that, we always encourage readers to share their version, that invitation is also extended to you. You can do so at http://redsports.sg/tell-your-story
We will post your story in FULL, without corrections.
You send it, we post it.
then ur lens is very badly stained and there IS such a thing as an objective article. because what transpired on the field were events not opinions.
a lot of what is mentioned in the report didn’t happen. it’s obvious the writer didn’t do his work very well. also there were other mistakes in the article that have since been rectified ONLY because ppl have commented on it.
and i was told by some that the writer did not even interview the coaches and players himself. it was someone else who got the quotes. though this i cannot confirm.
Once again, Shirley, you fail to specify the “a lot of what is mentioned in the report didn’t happen”.
We can only guess, but if you’re talking about the errors of names/numbers, it is very easy for people in the stands who don’t know the team inside-out to mix up the numbers. Understand that this is soccer, and spectators stand far away from the action and it is a struggle to see the numbers sometimes.
If you think your lens is cleaner, go ahead and write what you seem to know well. You have failed to specify what happened during the match that was misrepresented.
Send it to us, and we’ll post it. 🙂
Hi Shirley, thanks for your comments. I would like to know what are the things that i wrote which didn’t happen, can you kindly list them out here? It can help to improve as a writer as well!
I would also like to know who was the people who said did not interview the coaches and players. I kept a copy of me interviewing VJC coach Lim Wei Quan. If you need that as evidence, i can upload it into the story!
We have no problems admitting that we make mistakes in our articles. When people point it out, we gladly change it.
However, you have yet to specify what is wrong with the article.
Also, your accusation that the writer did not get the interview himself is baseless. We refer you to the last photo above (photo 32). Generally, we don’t put such photos up but since you have no qualms about casting aspersions on the character of the writer, I asked our volunteer photographer to put it up to address your lie.
Lastly, you confuse fact and opinion. There are facts, but the interpretation of those facts constitute opinion. The story above is the writer’s opinion.
Your opinion, if you wish to share it, is still welcome if you want to write about the game at http://redsports.sg/tell-your-story/
As we say to everyone who reads Red Sports,
“You send it, we post it.”
Shirley, I find it troubling when a “young schoolgirl” of your evident intellectual calibre comes on a website and does a dump over the efforts of others. It’s poisonous behaviour. Instead of tearing down, why not show us how it’s done – post an alternative account, one without mistakes, without childish phrases, not exploitative, yet supports readers’ interest and passion, and faithfully records what happened?
why wasnt the foul given when vj pushed a ri girl down just before they scorede
i thought it was ri push vj, then cos vj advantage then the winger got it so the ref wave play on… i think it’s fair?
because the referee couldnt react fast enough
#40 is TERI TAN dont put tan zhuo hui its totally not nice.
both are not nice
omg, the VJC #7 is an unsung hero. I saw the match and the first goal was the DEFENCE fault, not entirely hers. and the one on one save was amazing. she kept vjc alive. no doubt the substitute VJC goalkeeper terrific job with the penalties, i just wanted to highlight some of the contribution of this courageous player
yes yes no doubt about that! she made many good saves and didn’t falter even though the goal came in the 1st min… i don’t think it’s easy to recover from that. well done keeper!
🙂 i think it will mean alot to her:)
photo 7 is Sarah Long, not Huixin.
Apologies, thank you for the correction =)
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Hi guys,
Thanx for the great coverage on the finals. Kudos to both teams for providing a great showcase for girls soccer.
Some minor things though, the cross was made by Jolene Cheng for the winning goal, and this would be the 3rd successive year that VJC has emerged as champions.
Once again, thank you for the great work, school sports is better off for all of you at redsports.
#1VJSG Fan
Hi Azrul, thanks for notifying the minor mistakes. It was certainly an exciting match with goals scored so early and so late in the match, with the penalty shootout capping it off!
The second player for VJ penalty shootout was number 15 Ella Lim, not Ho Hui Xin.
Hi Tess, thanks for rectifying the mistake!
Hey Jon and YQ, great job for the photos! I personally like photos 17 and 26.
it was so close for raffles, probably 10-20 secs from clinching champs, before the equaliser.
yeah, i was getting ready to run onto the pitch in anticipation of the celebrations =P.
lol, is there a 70+2 min thing? o.o might as well put 72 mins.
That’s the convention to show you what full time is, which, in this case, is 70 minutes. So you know she scored two minutes into time added on. At least that’s how I understand it.
dude a div girls soccer isn’t 90 minutes.