Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Marvin Lowe and Van Lim/Red Sports

CDIV WATER POLO FINAL

ACS(I) #5 takes a shot while the Outram goalkeeper tries to block. (Photo 1 © Marvin Lowe/Red Sports)

CCAB, Wednesday, March 23, 2011 — Defending champions Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACS(I)) ended Outram Secondary School’s fairy-tale run in the C Division Water Polo Championship with an emphatic 15-0 victory in the final.

Outram Secondary had shocked traditional water polo powerhouses like Raffles Institution, ACS (Barker Road) and even last year’s runners-up Hwa Chong Institution to qualify for the final, but ACS(I) were simply too much to overcome.

“We finished sixth in last year’s competition so everyone is proud that we improved to second this year,” said Outram captain Ting Wai Kit. “We trained twice a day every day during the November and December holidays. That’s our secret formula. In this match, we made too much mistakes and that’s why ACS(I) won.”

Lucas Pang (ACS(I), #11) scored four goals while vice-captain Darren Ong (ACS(I), #12) added a hat-trick as ACS (I) led from start to finish to win their fourth consecutive C Division title.

“It feels really great (to win the title again this year),” said ACS(I)’s captain Syed Isa Aljunied. “We have continued our streak and we have also set a standard for our juniors to follow. I am also very proud that we were able to make history by keeping a clean sheet! It’s been a very long time since someone did that in the final.”

Outram were able to hold ACS(I) back in the opening minutes, with their goalkeeper making a string of three saves to keep the scores level. However, with just a little over two minutes left in the first quarter, the floodgates were open. Captain Syed Isa Aljunied (ACS(I), #2) found the breakthrough when his shot from the left found the back of the net.

Joshua Soo (ACS(I), #4) added another with his back towards goal just before the first interval to make the score 2-0 in favour of the defending champions.

In the second period, ACS(I) stretched their lead with another five goals. Joshua Soo got on the score sheet again while Darren Ong grab two goals of his own. Lucas Pang and Gordon Chen (ACS(I), #13) got the other goals as it seemed ACS(I) were scoring with each attack.

In contrast, Outram were unable to threaten their opponent’s goal. They gave the ball away cheaply and were limited to long-ranged shots that failed to trouble ACS(I)’s goalkeeper. As a result, they trailed 0-7 at the half.

There was no doubt of the result at this point as ACS(I) strolled to victory. Francis Tan (ACS(I), #8) added a goal at the start of the third quarter before Darren Ong completed his hat-trick. Lucas Pang then got his second of the morning to make it 10-0.

Things got worse for Outram when their starter, Sean Toh (Outram, #4), got called for his third major foul, resulting in his ejection from the game.

ACS(I) didn’t let up in the fourth quarter as they grabbed another five goals. Lucas found the back of the net for the third and fourth time while Denzel Chan (ACS(I), #5), Gary Lee (ACS(I), #6) and Syed Isa Aljunied added to the tally as well. Outram missed a couple of 6-on-5 opportunities to score their first goal, and at the final buzzer, the scoreline read 15-0 in favour of ACS(I).

“In the first round match against Outram, we won 10-6 so that was a closer game,” analysed ASC(I) coach Luo Nan. “That time, we didn’t play well but today, we played very well so I’m happy about that. Outram didn’t perform well today, but for them to qualify for the final after so many years, it is very good for them and for water polo in Singapore.”

“Outram was very sporting and put up a good fight and I must say they are very worthy opponents,” commented ACS(I) captain Syed Isa Aljunied.

Outram coach Kuah Kar Huat felt that his boys were pressured by the occasion and thought they could have done better.

He said, “When they started to make a few mistakes – that’s when we lost the game. They lost faith in themselves and put in less effort. I expected a closer game and more effort from the boys. Honestly, we didn’t expect to win, but we thought we could have done better than this.”

“They have surprised everyone to have come so far. It is just a waste that they didn’t perform on the final day. The boys played consistently throughout five games but played the last game badly. I guess they are not used to playing in front of such a big crowd,” added coach Kuah.


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