Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Soh Jun Wei/Red Sports
Efren Toh (ACS #7) attempts a shot while Wynn Chan (OSS #10) defends. (Photo 1 © Soh Jun Wei/Red Sports)
PESEB, Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 — Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACS(I)) wrested the title back from Outram Secondary with a 13–7 win in the National B Division Boys Water Polo Championship final. Efren Tan (ACS(I) #7) scored five goals to lead his team to victory, while Darren Koh (Outram #12) scored three goals to pace his team.
This was a rematch of the 2013 B Division final, when Outram pulled off a stunning 6–5 upset to claim their first ever title.
The first quarter saw ACS(I) in imperious form. Daniel Tan (ACS(I) #10) managed to tally a hat-trick in the span of the period, while teammate Darren Cheng (ACS(I) #5) chipped in with a backhanded goal for a 4–0 lead. Outram were unlucky early on when their first two shots were both kept out by the crossbar. Gabriel Lee (Outram #11) pulled one back for Outram with a stinging shot at the end of the quarter to trail 1–4.
ACS(I) enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession throughout the second and third quarters. Their players were aggressive in pressing the Outram players, dispossessing them a couple of times. This was responsible for ACS(I)’s huge six-goal, 11–5 lead by the end of the third period.
Despite this, Outram never showed any signs of faltering. Jin Xun (Outram #4) scored two long-range goals to keep his team in the game. His first was a long-range laser from the middle, while his second was a deftly-placed lob that caught the ACS(I) keeper napping.
The final quarter saw both teams lock things up on defense as each side managed two goals each. Despite their best efforts, Outram were unable to claw their way back into the game. Efren (ACS(I) #7) stamped his mark on the game, scoring a goal from within his own half with seconds remaining. This sealed the 13–7 win for ACS(I), as well as ending a year-long wait for them to reclaim their title.
ACS(I) captain, Erythan Ang (#2), said, “It was very good for us to win back the title and I think we did the school proud. Even though we were up by four goals early on, the whole team was locked in as we knew what our goal was. We managed to shut down their key players, which managed to reduce their goal-making abilities. I hope next year’s team will strive to work harder. Outram will be out to take the title back, so they must do well to defend it.”
Scoring by Quarter
ACS(I) vs Outram
1st Quarter: 4–1
2nd Quarter: 3–2 (7–3)
3rd Quarter: 4–2 (11–5)
4th Quarter: 2–2 (13–7)
Top Scorers
ACS(I)
Efren Tan (#7) – 5 goals
Daniel Tan (#10) – 4 goals
Outram
Darren Koh (#12) – 3 goals
Jin Xun (#4) – 2 goals
ACS(I) Roster
Justin Seah (#1), Erythan Ang (#2), Luke Chan (#3), Zachary Quek (#4), Darren Cheng (#5), Samuel Seow (#6), Efren Toh (#7), Gareth Koh (#8), Jeremy King (#9), Daniel Tan (#10), Lau Bao Jie (#11), Mark Ong (#12), Royston Kee (#13)
Outram Roster
Muhammad Syafiie (#1), Tan Jiong Yang (#2), Soh Wei Ern (#3), Soe Jin Xun (#4), Khoo Kean Sheng (#5), Nick Lee (#6), Don Weng (#7), Brandon Lai (#8), Nicholas Yeo (#9), Wynn Chan (#10), Gabriel Lee (#11), Darren Koh (#12), Darrell Tay (#13)
More photos next page
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