Story by REDintern Ryan Lim. Photos by Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports
Jove Liew (SRJC #21, left) reacts after slotting in the team’s third goal. (Photo 1 © Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports)
St Andrew’s Junior College, Friday, April 8, 2016 — Serangoon Junior College (SRJC) delivered a solid performance to triumph 3-1 over Dunman High School (DHS) in the National A Division Football Championship.
Both teams are out of the running for Round 2.
The win, their second in the group, leaves SRJC in third place behind group leader Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) and St. Andrew’s Junior College.
Fresh from their disappointing draw against Jurong Junior College, SRJC ventured into this game looking to make amends for the two points lost earlier in the week. On the other hand, DHS entered this match after a poor run of form that saw only one point gained after four games.
SRJC had the better of the game’s opening stages, holding a significant share of possession. However, their finishing was often found wanting, as they struggled to break the deadlock.
One of their better chances came when Syafiq (SRJC #25) attempted a lob over the onrushing keeper. The ball deflected off the keeper’s head and went out for a corner.
The first goal was finally on the horizon when the referee pointed to the penalty spot after an SRJC player was allegedly fouled in a massive scramble in the box. The DHS players were stunned at what looked like a soft penalty call. Skipper Astenn Mun (SRJC #10) stepped up to the plate and converted the penalty with a thumping strike, sending the DHS keeper the wrong way.
With their morale up, SRJC continued to press DHS with waves of attacks. SRJC missed the chance to go further ahead when lone striker Syafiq (SRJC #25) received the ball in the penalty box and skied his shot after being put off balance by a DHS defender.
The second half was still one-sided, with DHS struggling to get out of their own half. This forced them to rely on set-piece opportunities and SRJC mistakes for their chances.
As the game wore on, DHS slowly found their rhythm and started to build attacks of their own. A well-worked play saw captain Carman Koh (DHS #7) beat his marker with an exquisite turn, but he was stopped in his tracks as he failed to penetrate the SRJC defence.
DHS enjoyed a good spell as Carman Koh (DHS #7) continued to lead by example, and at times found himself playing multiple positions. One moment he is defending at right back, and minutes later he is going down the left wing to spark an attack.
Glenn (SRJC #14) thought he had extended his team’s lead when he put the ball into the net only for the linesman to disallow it for offside.
However, the second goal did come minutes later when Syafiq (SRJC #25) collected a pass on the right flank and went on to dribble straight past two defenders before unleashing a side-footed shot into the goal, making it 2-0.
SRJC did not become complacent, learning their lesson after losing a two-goal lead in their previous match. They pressed on for a third goal and it finally came when Jove Liew (SRJC #21) drifted infield from the left wing, placing the ball past the goalkeeper to attain a comfortable 3-0 advantage.
DHS scored a late consolation in the final minute of the game when a long range effort from Carman Koh (DHS #7) bounced over the SRJC goalkeeper who misjudged the flight of the ball.
SRJC captain Astenn Mun (SRJC #10) said, “We played well, and gave them a lot of pressure. We wanted to give back to our school. Our team is quite bonded, and I hope the team will continue to bond even after the tournament. I hope they had a good experience.”
DHS captain Carman Koh (DHS #7) said, “We put in a lot of hard work, and the team has improved a lot since the start of this year. We only have four J2s in the team, so for the J1s to improve so much in just four months is really astounding. Good luck for next year and keep working hard.”
SRJC face ACJC in their final game, while DHS exit the championship.
Score by Half
SRJC vs DHS
1st Half: 1-0
2nd Half: 2-1
Full-time: 3-1
Scorers
SRJC
Astenn Mun (#10) – 1 goal
Syafiq (#25) – 1 goal
Jove Liew (#21) – 1 goal
DHS
Carman Koh Zhong Peng (#7) – 1 goal
SRJC Roster
Declan Tham (#1), Teo Bongee (#2), Faries (#3), Teng Kian En (#4), Timothy Ngoi (#5), Mukmin (#6), Abdul Qadir (#7), Park Jung Hoon (#8), Zhi Xiong (#9), Astenn Mun (#10), Akid Durrani (#11), Katiravan (#12), Morgan (#13), Glenn (#14), Bryan Goh (#15), Giovanni (#16), Mujeer (#17), Nicholas (#18), Syafiq (#25), Jove Liew (#21)
DHS Roster
Sean Ng Jing Wen (#1), Jonathan Lim Wei De (#2), Ryan Ng Zheng Hong (#3), Loo Teng Qing Daniel (#4), Denzel Siew Jin Jie (#5), Lee Li Ren (#6), Carman Koh Zhong Peng (#7), Lim Jin Yang (#8), Mai Youlian (#9), Jeremy Tan Yi Jie (#10), Tan Huirong (#11), Yang Yee (#12), How Jackson (#13), Tan Ka Wei Jaren (#14), Sim Zheng Hao (#17), Hoh Hao Juan (#21), Keefe Lim Yuheng (#23), Poh Jing Hao (#25)
National A Division Football Championship – fixtures and results
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