Nanyang Poly clinch men’s POL-ITE floorball title with 3-1 win over Republic Poly

Story by Yvonne Yap/Red Sports. Pictures by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports.

Republic Polytechnic Sports Complex, Wednesday, November 4, 2009 – Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) kept their unbeaten win-loss record with a 3-1 win over Republic Polytechnic (RP) in the men’s Polytechnic-Institute of Technical Education (POL-ITE) Floorball Championship. NYP were the only team to win all their games in the 2009/2010 season for a perfect 5-0 record while conceding only five goals throughout the tournament.

RP had luck on their side in the first period when NYP captain Jenmark Binay Sorreda (NYP #10) had to sit out a 2-minute penalty just two minutes into the game when he tripped another RP player.

RP made six attempts at goal as compared to NYP’s two, but all the shots either went wide or were saved by NYP keeper Syed Irfaan Bin Syed Amir Shah (NYP #19), who was on constant alert and reacted quickly to the shots.

The second period saw NYP scoring all three of their goals, capitalising on the lapses in RP’s defence while displaying their fluid passes and solid teamwork. Herman Bin Mansor (NYP #26) scored the first goal in the 23rd minute, with an assist from Johnson Sivalingam (NYP #16) through the left wing. Herman was unmarked and placed the ball easily past the goalkeeper.

The duo then made it 2-0 to NYP from a free hit three minutes later. Sivalingam took the free hit directly in front of goal and Herman converted it to chalk up another point for his team.

Lavanesh (RP #18) was then sent out for a 2-minute penalty at 25:42min for slashing, forcing his teammates to pull back into their half and defend the goal. Even though NYP tried to break the wall of defenders, RP kept the scoreline constant till they were restored to five men up again.

NYP finally scored their third goal in the last minute of the period. NYP #8 took a shot at goal, but the ball rebounded off the goalkeeper who used his body as a shield. It was left to Muhammad Akid (NYP #18) to complete the score by tapping the rebound easily past the goalkeeper from the left, making it 3-0 to NYP.

RP’s solitary goal came from a penalty award in the 35th minute when Izwan Bin Hussin (NYP #23) was booked for foul play. Ahmad Afzal (RP #77) calmly took the shot, feinting a shot from the left, tricking Irfaan into going too far out from his post and tapping it easily into the right corner of the net.

Sivalingam incurred a 2-minute penalty in the dying seconds of the game, giving the RP team and supporters a slight glimmer of hope to turn the tables around, but it was much too late.

The final score stood at 3-1 in NYP’s favour, handing them the honour of the title as well as an unbeaten record in the championship.

Having only conceded only five goals throughout the competition, NYP captain Jenmark attributed this feat to two reasons. “We trained both the goalies and the defenders together,” he revealed. He also added that the forwards did a good job in the games as well, helping the team to clinch the championship.

“We have achieved our target (to win the title). Next up will be the IVP (Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic) … We will train hard for the upcoming tournament,” Jenmark shared. The NYP team managed to come in second place last year for the IVP Floorball Championship, and are looking to clinching the IVP title for 2009/2010.

Final Standings
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