Story by Les Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Laura Lee/Red Sports
SAJC players celebrate after Bervyn Goh (SAJC #8) scored the winning goal to earn them a ticket to the final. (Photo 1 © Laura Lee/Red Sports)
Serangoon Junior College, Tuesday, May 20, 2014 – St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) upset Victoria Junior College (VJC) 1–0 to qualify for the final of the National A Division Boys Football Championship.
This will be SAJC’s third final appearance since 2010 while for defending champions VJC, this will be a hard defeat to swallow after they squandered a bagful of chances to put the game away.
A goal against the run of play midway through the second half by Saints captain Bervyn Goh (#8) proved the crucial difference.
The ball bounced loose and Ehvin Sasi (SAJC #3) bore down on the VJC goal. However, he was brought down in a clash with VJC goalkeeper Benedict Loh (#1) and there was an expectation that the referee would blow for a penalty.
With no whistle sounded, play went on and the drama continued. The ball was now rolling towards the touch line but Bervyn Goh (SAJC #8) chased it down. Despite an acute angle, Bervyn managed to get to the ball before it rolled out of play and angled it home for the winning goal.
“It was a lucky break,” recalled Bervyn. “We were on a counter attack and I was hoping for a tap in. True enough. I ran for my life and tried to get the best contact I could.”
The strike proved to be SAJC’s only shot on target and they took their chance well. In contrast, VJC peppered the SAJC goal over two halves without success.
Muhd Ammar Bin Mohd Fazali (VJC #10) got things going in the first half with a direct free kick that SAJC goalkeeper Wong Li Jie (#13) spilled but no VJC player could follow up and score.
An innocuous VJC cross then saw Li Jie fumble the catch but again, no VJC player was in the box to capitalise.
In the meantime, SAJC could not find any penetration and also did not use the three free kicks that came their way to test the VJC keeper.
Sherman Quek (VJC #20) then wasted a defense-splitting pass to blow his chance high but later managed to hit a stinging shot that Li Jie (#13) managed to save with a second attempt.
Sherman had the best chance of the first half to put VJC ahead when Li Jie (SAJC #13) came to collect a cross but did not get it. In the ensuing melee, Sherman had only the keeper to beat from inside the penalty box but Li Jie (SAJC #13) made up for his mistake and saved with his legs.
The start of the second half saw VJC continue to threaten the SAJC goal but without testing Li Jie (SAJC #13) in goal. Then came the SAJC goal against the run of play and with 20 minutes to go, VJC now had to dig themselves out of a hole.
Muhd Ammar (VJC #10) missed the first huge chance of the half for his team. Put through on goal, Ammar rounded the SAJC keeper but lost control and the ball rolled away with the goal at his mercy, much to the agony of the VJC bench and their vocal supporters in the stands.
Sherman Quek (VJC #20) was next with a chance but he arrived too late into the penalty box and was unable to meet a cross after Nicholas Yong (VJC #17) had chased down a seemingly hopeless ball in the corner.
Ammar (VJC #10) had his second big chance of the game to score. He found himself one one one again against Li Jie (SAJC #13) but the SAJC keeper saved with his legs to leave VJC in continued agony.
Goh Yu Fen (SAJC #10) then put the ball in the back of the net but the celebrations ended abruptly when the referee ruled it offside.
A final chance fell to Nicholas Yong (VJC #17) when he ran through to connect with a lofted pass over the SA back line but he blew the ball over the crossbar. That was the final VJC attempt and the referee’s whistle triggered SAJC celebrations while some VJC players sank to the ground.
“The biggest setback was our 1–2 loss to ACJC in Round 1,” recalled captain Bervyn Goh (SAJC #8). “That was a turning point for us. We were shocked and that changed our season. We picked ourselves up after that.”
Mr Roland Lee, SAJC teacher-in-charge, said, “Hard luck to VJC who played very well. They dominated, and they are a fantastic team. Today it happened for us.”
SAJC will play Meridian Junior College in the final. MJC defeated Anglo-Chinese Junior College 3–2 in the other semi-final played at the same time. The final is scheduled for Monday, May 26, 5pm, at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Scoring by Half
SAJC vs VJC
First half: 0–0
Second half: 1–0
Scorers
SAJC
Bervyn Goh (#8) – 1 goal
SAJC Squad
Bryan Quek (#1), David Chew (#2), Ehvin s/o Sasidharan (#4), William Winarto (#4), Jeshua Koh (#5), Chua Zong Luck (#6), Andrew Yap (#7), Bervyn Goh (#8), Xavier Ling (#9), Marcus Teng (#10), Jon Tan (#11), Bryan Chan (#12), Wong Li Jie (#13), Richard Kua (#14), Marcus Goh (#16), Lim Wei Jie (#20), Joshua Tan (#22), Gerald Ang (#23), Troy Lam (#24), Leonard Tay (#25)
VJC Squad
Loh Ye-Yang Benedict (#1), Ong You Sheng Aaron (#2), Koh Jin Kai (#3), Ong Kai-En Benjamin (#4), Bradley Gan (#5), Joshua Tan Jyn-Kit (#6), Ryuju Osamura (#7), Chaichote Panasampon (#8), Teo Jian Kiat (#9), Muhd Ammar Bin Mohd Fazali (#10), Mohamed Hasif B Abdul Hakim (#11), Wong Jun Jie (#12), Yeoh Lai Hsin (#13), Muhammad Firdaus B Asri (#14), Ong Dao Nan (#15), Cai Jiachen (#16), Nicholas Yong Chung Wai (#17), Mohammed Ibrahim B Yasin (#18), Dominic Ho Wee Keong (#19), Quek Yong Lin Sherman (#20)
National A Division Football Championship – fixtures and results
More photos next page
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