Story by REDintern Iman Hashim. Photos by Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports.

Tan Zhi Kai (OPSS #14) dribbles the ball against his opponent. He was the top scorer of the game, bagging 5 goals. (Photo 1 © Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports)

Tan Zhi Kai (OPSS #14) dribbles the ball against his opponent. He was the top scorer of the game, bagging 5 goals. (Photo 1 © Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports)

Hougang Sports Hall, Wednesday, February 17, 2016 — Tan Zhi Kai (OPSS #14) scored a whopping five goals as Orchid Park Secondary (OPSS) easily beat Shuqun Secondary 12–4 in the National B Division Boys Floorball Championship preliminary round.

The win balances up Orchid Park’s win-loss record at 2–2, with one more preliminary game remaining. They had earlier beaten Kent Ridge Secondary 16–3 but lost to East Spring Secondary 3–7 and Raffles Institution (RI) 4–5.

As for Shuqun, this was their third loss after 3–11 and 1–16 defeats to East Spring and RI respectively.

Zhi Kai (OPSS #14) did not open his scoring account until the second period, however that did not stop OPSS from racing into a 4–0 lead inside eight minutes of the first period.

Koh Wei Long (OPSS #18) was not afraid to shoot from long range in multiple instances, and he earned his reward in the fourth minute when he broke the deadlock with a fine drag shot from outside the D which the goalkeeper failed to handle.

Two minutes later, Md Shakir B Shiraj (OPSS #10) played a brilliant one-two with Huang Jia Cheng (OPSS #7) which deceived the goalkeeper, before slotting the ball in. Jia Cheng went from provider to scorer as he scored the next two goals in quick succession – one from long-range and the other a tap-in after receiving a pass from Muhammad Bin Razali (#11) who rounded the posts before putting it on a plate for Jia Cheng.

Shuqun were not about to give up the fight, however, as Mohd Ridzwan (#12) pulled two goals back before the first period ended, making it 2–4.

Three minutes into the second period, OPSS were forced to reshuffle and sit back as they were down to only three players against five for a few minutes because of penalised fouls. Yet, even while being shorthanded, OPSS managed to protect their lead. They scored three more in the second period through Koh Wei Long (#18) again, Tan Zhi Kai (#14) and Muhammad B Razali (#11).

In contrast, Shuqun only had one goal in reply, where Md Nabil Amali (#6) found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper before having the composure to dink the ball in.

The scoreline read 7–3 in OPSS’ favour going into the final period and that was when the Tan Zhi Kai (OPSS #14) masterclass began. He added four goals to the one he scored in the previous period to put the game beyond doubt.

The icing on the cake was OPSS’ 12th goal of the game, where a beautiful team move culminated in a low long-range shot by Wei Long (#18) to close off proceedings.

Orchid Park’s last preliminary game will be against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) on Monday, February 22 at Hougang Sports Hall while Shuqun faced Kent Ridge on Friday, February 19 at Northland Secondary School.

Even with a win against ACS(I), Orchid Park might not be guaranteed qualification for the second round of the competition as East Spring and RI occupy the top two spots in the group standings.

Score By Period
OPSS vs Shuqun
1st Period: 4–2
2nd Period: 3–1 (7–3)
3rd Period: 5–1 (12–4)

Top Scorers
OPSS
Tan Zhi Kai (#14) — 5 goals

Shuqun
Mohd Ridzwan (#12) — 2 goals

OPSS Roster
Ahmad Danish Syafiq (#6), Damon Ang (#28), Danial Raziq (#99), Huang Jia Cheng (#7), Koh Wei Long (#18), Lucas Kwek (#12), Lim Chong Shing (#8), Muhammad B Razali (#11), Muhammad Shakir B Shiraj (#10), Raiyan B Ridhuan (#16), Tan Zhi Kai (#14), Xu Xiangxin (#5)

Shuqun Roster
Abdul Zaidan (#16), Ahmad Hafeeq (#15), Ashraf Ali (#1), Faizidil Abu Bakar (#8), Logeswaran S/O Raman (#11), Mikhail Ashviin Shankar (#5), Mohd Ridzwan (#12), Mohd Fadlullah (#14), Mohd Zikrullah (#13), Muhd Aqir (#10), Muhd Nabil Amali (#6), Raimi Nurhan (#4), Rifqi Uzzair (#7), Shafiq Daniel (#9), Soe William Min (#2), Valente Neil (#3)