Story by Tamara Lie/Red Sports. Photos by Ryan Lim/Red Sports.

Foo Jun Wei (RI #17) celebrating his goal. (Photo © Ryan Lim/Red Sports)

Foo Jun Wei (RI #17) celebrating his goal. (Photo 1 © Ryan Lim/Red Sports)

Yishun Sports Hall, Wednesday, May 25, 2016 — Defending champions Raffles Institution (RI) defeated Victoria Junior College (VJC) 5-3 to secure a spot in the National A Division Floorball Championship final.

Silas Choe (#11), Foo Jun Wei (#17), Marcus Chua (#23), Teo Chee Hao (#76) and Tng Zong Wei (#88) fired RI to victory with a goal apiece.

VJC took everyone by surprise when Koh Wenjun (#14) scored the first goal just six seconds into the game, igniting cheers from the mass of VJC supporters. RI were shaken by the VJC goal and were apprehensive, losing possession of the ball easily.

RI soon gained momentum after Silas Choe (RI #11) made a fast break towards the goal and scored the equaliser. Both teams were aggressive in defence and blocked multiple shot attempts. RI then took the lead when Marcus Chua (#23) received a pass from behind the goal and launched the ball from a tight angle to make it 2-1.

VJC were not discouraged and had a strong fighting spirit, chasing after every loose ball and employing a strong double team defence against RI. However, they were too aggressive and a VJC player got called for a 2-minute penalty.

Despite being down one man, VJC showed impressive defending and did not let the RI players into the slot area easily. They managed to prevent RI from extending their lead and ended the first period trailing 1-2.

RI slowed the pace of the game in the second period, patiently waiting for opportunities to score. Defender Foo Jun Wei (RI #17) was unmarked and from mid court, unleashed a powerful slap shot straight into goal.

VJC were determined to reduce the deficit and pressured RI in defence. They managed steals and intercepts to set themselves up for shots but were stopped by RI defenders.

A quick pass from Koh Dun Xian (VJC #5) to captain Muhammad Haziq (VJC #23) caught the keeper off guard, and the VJC captain swiftly placed the ball into the bottom corner of the goal, reducing the deficit to 2-3.

With five minutes left on the clock, Tng Zong Wei (#88) from RI scored from a point-blank shot to reestablish a 2-point, 4-2 lead. The rest of the period saw both teams attempting multiple shot attempts but the keepers worked hard to save all the shots.

VJC started the last period with a goal by Koh Dun Xian (#5) from a free hit. VJC displayed fast team plays and were strong offensively, creating many chances to score, but they were stopped by RI who chased to block every shot.

In the remaining five minutes, captain Muhammad Haziq (VJC #23) received a pass in front of the open goal, giving him a chance to equalise, but the shot went wide. RI ended the game 5-3 winners with a last-minute goal by Teo Chee Hao (#76).

Silas Choe (#11), captain of RI, said, “The game was tough as both teams kept good pressure on each other from start to end. Fortunately we did not let the early goal by VJC get to us and worked hard for the rest of the game. It was a really tough fight until the final whistle.”

He added, “I felt really tired as it was a game that required both teams to work hard from start to end, but nevertheless grateful that our team got the win, and of course looking forward to the final!”

With the win, RI will be moving on to the final against Meridian Junior College (MJC) who beat Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) 8-0 in the other semi-final. The match will be played on Friday, May 27 at Delta Sports Hall. VJC will go up against ACJC for third place on the same day at the same venue.

Score by Period
RI vs VJC
1st Period: 2-1
2nd Period: 2-1 (4-2)
3rd Period: 1-1 (5-3)

Scorers
RI
Silas Choe (#11) – 1 goal
Foo Jun Wei (#17) – 1 goal
Marcus Chua (#23) – 1 goal
Teo Chee Hao (#76) – 1 goal
Tng Zong Wei (#88) – 1 goal

VJC
Koh Dun Xian (#5) – 1 goal
Koh Wenjun (#14) – 1 goal
Muhammad Haziq (#23) – 1 goal

RI Roster
Chester Ng Yan Hao (#1), Chia Wei Kit Samuel (#91), Chua Hao Jie Marcus (#23), Foo Jun Wei (#17), Goh Jun Shyan Caius (#9), Ho Wei En (#10), Joshua Tan Yin Feng (#25), Kamal Hariz B Othman (#19), Law Shao Yu (#21), Lee Min Hao (#4), Liew Wei Xiong Shawn (#22), Lim Yi (#12), Mudzakkir B Aziz (#15), Muhammad Haziq B Abdul Rased (#29), Muhammad Ihsan B Mohd Azmi (#42), Sean Toh Shan Meng (#8), Shaun Heng Wei Hao (#7), Silas Choe Cheng Xun (#11), Tan Hong Jie Jared (#71), Tan Jiaju Ryan (#88), Teo Chee Hao (#76), Tng Zong Wei (#88)

VJC Roster
Ammar B Hussein Bagharib (#16), Chen Ting Yi (#6), Cheng Fan Sheng Mark (#3), Chi Hong Hui (#7), Edly Irsyad B Elham (#45), Harriz B Jaya Ansor (#27), Koh Dun Xian (#5), Koh Jun Hao (#21), Koh Wenjun (#14), Lai Ang (#35), Muhammad Haziq B Abdul Wahab (#23), Muhammad Imran B Maritz (#33), Ng Jing Xiang (#8), Nicholas Tham Yong Liang (#4), Nicolai Alexxander Neo Rui S (#13), Poon Chong Ming (#9), Ryan Loo Yi Xuan (#17), Ryan See Zhuo Yang (#34), Shariff Mansor Malek (#10), Sim Wei Xuan, Samuel (#11), Tan Jia Sheng, Sherman (#19), Wong Ee Chann (#30)

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