A Division Girls’ Floorball: MJC defeat RI 2-0 recapture national title

By REDintern Stefanus Ian. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Republic Polytechnic Sports Hall, Monday, May 23, 2011 — Meridian Junior College (MJC) triumphed 2-0 over Raffles Institution to win the National A Division Girls’ Floorball Championship. The girls in blue led from start to finish, scoring two goals in the first period before shutting RI out for the rest of the game.

RI tried to get back into the game in the second and third periods by dominating possession and although MJC had to endure a nervy finish, they deserved to win after a strong first 15 minutes.

The victory meant that the MJC girls recaptured the national title they last won in 2009, paving the way for an A Division double when the MJC boys’ team beat Victoria Junior College 5-4 in the second final of the day.

Said MJC coach, Filip Dahlgeren, at the end of the game: “A 2-0 lead is the worst kind of lead you can have as one goal could easily swing the momentum to your opponent. I was not so worried in the second period at first but it was pretty chaotic at the end.”

Although MJC scored two goals, the first chance of the game fell to RI after five minutes of play when Qi Ying (RI #23) was presented a chance in front of the goal but could not capitalize. A minute later, it was MJC who threatened through their Skipper Miao Ling (MJC #7) when she did well to intercept a pass but as she counter-attacked, she struggled to keep the ball under control.

MJC broke the deadlock just after midway through the first period when Jiayi (MJC #9) scored following a well-executed free hit set play. RI almost replied instantly two minutes later when their captain, Jolene Sum (RI #7), had a shot saved from inside the crease.

With 4:19 on the clock, MJC #6 was sent to the sin bin for a foul and despite their numerical disadvantage, MJC impressively managed to double their lead through their dependable captain, Miao Ling. Receiving the ball from defense just in front of the half-court line, she turned, looked up and unleashed a ferocious drag shot which whizzed into the top left hand corner of the MJC’s goal to send the MJC supporters wild.

The second period was more of the same for both teams, although Raffles arguably had more possession towards the end. One turning point in the second period came after slightly more than five minutes of play. Following a goalmouth scramble, MJC were awarded a penalty following a stick interference by Jolene Sum in the goalie crease. Miao Ling stepped up to take the crucial penalty shot and despite her best efforts to put the RI goalkeeper off, she could not capitalize as she missed her shot, sending it straight at the keeper.

RI seemed invigorated by the miss as they started to dominate proceedings, creating more than a few half chances but they could not convert their possession into goals.

Commented Jill Quek, RI’s coach: “The girls sometimes took too long to release the ball and the finishes was not there for us today. We also started too slowly.”

Tired legs may have played a part but MJC’s shaky performance in the third was perhaps due to a lack of focus. RI continued to hold more of the ball as MJC’s previously smooth ball control deserted them, resulting in a few sloppy turnovers. It was clear that MJC were on the defensive in the final period but RI’s offense simply could not find a way to breach MJC’s stubborn defense. In the end, MJC’s stellar performance in the first period was enough to bring home the coveted gold.

Having lost 2-1 to RI earlier in the group stage, Filip was clearly pleased about his team’s performance saying, “My girls played like heroes today, especially on their physical aspects of the game, which was lacking when we lost to RI earlier in the group stage.”

The coach also paid tribute to MJC teacher Ms Seah Joo Yee, saying: “She made a lot of sacrifice to help the girls to where they are now.”

Match Statistics
MJC 2 RI 0

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