Contributed by reader Shadiq Al-Hussain
VJC players (in yellow) look at each other as ACS(I) is awarded another penalty corner in the second half. (Photo 1 courtesy of Shadiq)
CCAB, Monday, April 13, 2009 – Victoria Junior College handed Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) a shock 3-1 defeat in the A Division Boys Hockey Championship.
The season opener for Group C was a much-anticipated clash between two of the contenders for the title. The match, expected to be a cagey affair decided by the odd goal or the odd mistake, proved to be anything but that.
ACS(I) dictated much of the play in the first half, unsurprisingly, moving the ball forward menacingly. However, luck was not to on their side, as several well-executed attacks ended as wasted chances.
The series of misses was capped by ACS(I) ace centre-half Jaspreet Singh missing from the penalty spot.
The teams emerged for the second half looking to break the deadlock and it was VJC who did this, taking the ACS(I) defense by surprise.
Encouraged, VJC scored twice more, to set themselves on the way to producing the first shock result of the tournament.
A well-taken Jaspreet Singh consolation goal for ACS(I) made it 1-3.
The ACS(I) team were visibly disappointed after the match, and with reason too, given the number of chances they had to seal the match in the first half alone.
Summing up the disappointing afternoon, ACS(I) right-back Jason Teo said, "We failed to take our chances and were hit on the counter attack. Not much more to say."
ACS(I) centre-forward Esmond Loke prepares to send the ball in for a penalty corner. (Photo 2 courtesy of Shadiq)
i think it’s not a shock that ACSI lost. i’ve seen both teams play and i think VJ is a better team this year. nevertheless, i know ACSI will work hard and turn the tables. also, i agree that the A division standard is dropping/has dropped. in fact, the B division has a much higher standard for many sports.
in sports, anything is possible.
does anyone agree that the standard of ‘A’ divisions hockey has been dropping significantly over the past few years?
* i mean is its a shock that the team lost, not the school lost.. sorry my bad
VJC don’t have that many strong players this year. Only their keeper Brian Foo who plays in the premier league. ACS’s centre mid jaspreet also plays in the premier, and several of the other AC players have had premier league experience too. The ac team is made of players who’ve played with each other for the past 5/6 years, whereas VJ has many players new to the team.
yeah i heard hockey aint the biggest thing in acs but this team is kinda real strong.. i guess what the thing is sayin is that it is a shock becos the team lost and not the school lost yeah.. i mean it was a shock cos of the team that lost, not the team that lost or somethin.. i guess whether the team is strong or not comes from the hockey team itself and not the school’s opinion on the sport.. vj are kinda a powerhouse but if u look at it.. acs has been in the top 4 for both the years that they played in the a division right.. (they only were able to put a division teams for the past 2 years)
ENCOURAGED*
GREATLY ENCOURAGED*
hey uncle les,
pardon me for asking okay? how is this an upset? aren’t VJC the perennial power house for hockey along side RJC. i mean, sporting excellence is greatly encourage but hockey is hardly a tier 1 sport in AC. ( sorry to my AC friends playing hockey but i am stating fact )
You are welcome to ask, ACsian.
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AC beat SA in a pre season friendly 2-0. They also beat VJ 3-0, but the VJ team was missing a few first team players.
yeah rj is up there alright.. but i been hearin the acs team had great results from the friendlys.. includin against vj.. so yeah i gess it is some kinda shock.. but kudos to the vj boys.. looks like they’ll make it through with no probs.. all the best to the acs team too..
acsi is supposedly a weaker team this year so it’s not really a shock for vj to triumph 3-1 over them. i think in terms of strength, the hockey teams this year are ranked 1. RJ (by far), 2. VJ, 3. SA, 4. AC (I)