St Andrew’s JC top Group B of A Division girls football

Story by REDintern Lee Wenting. Pictures by REDintern Chan Hui Mui.

Jurong Junior College, Wednesday, May 6, 2009 – St Andrew’s Junior College claimed a marginal 1-0 victory over Raffles Institution to top Group B in the A Division Girls’ Football Championship. They now march on to their fourth consecutive semi-final berth since the tournament’s inception in 2006.

Raffles Institution qualify for the semi-finals as well by virtue of finishing runners-up in the group.

Powerhouse SAJC looked to round off their Group B campaign in style but were given a tough afternoon by the equally resolute RI.

Buoyed by their supporters, the Rafflesians enjoyed a bright start by pouncing on several nervous clearances in the opening minutes of the match.

An upset looked possible with two corners for RI inside three minutes and a free-kick in the opposition half, but RI failed to capitalise on their chances.

The Saints soon turned the tide in their favor as Narmadha Kamalanathan (SAJC, #9) found the feet of her strikers twice in the space of four minutes with some nifty footwork and dribbling, only to have both efforts fly over the bar.

The Saints #9 continued to torment her opponents with her dazzling dribbles, often leaving three defenders in her wake.

It was no surprise that the best chance of the half fell to the striker in the 34th minute, when Narmadha pounced on a failed clearance to fire a low shot towards the left post, but the RI keeper Nurulhuda Bte Mohammed Arslan (#1) pulled off a magnificent save to deny the striker.

With top placing at stake, both sides refused to buckle. The industriousness of the Saints was met with an equally spirited endeavor from the Rafflesians, and despite dominating possession the Saints could not find a way through the dogged defense by the opponents.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 46th minute when Saints defender Jolena Ang (#13) volleyed the ball first-time from a beautifully weighted cross into the far right of the post while taking a deflection off the back of an RI player.

When asked about her goal, Jolena said, “Thank God, praise God. I was stunned and I didn’t expect anything.”

Saints skipper Suria Priya D/O Varatharaja, who marshaled the midfield well with her tireless running and ball-winning abilities, was quick to praise her opponents. “RJC gave us a tough fight.”

The Rafflesians had two chances late in the second half, but were correctly ruled for offside on both occasions.

The Saints skipper remained modest about their chances of winning the championship. “We played well as a team, but there’s still a lot to improve on. It is a learning experience and we’ll take each game as it is.”

But SAJC coach Mr Loh was cautiously optimistic. “Everybody has a chance, we’ll take it one game at a time. Semi-finals first, (but) all games are possible.”

Editor’s note: If you recognise yourself or your team mates in any of the photos, please feel free to leave the names behind in the comments section and we’ll update accordingly. Thanks!