CHAPTER 5
FOOTBALL
2023 was a challenging but an amazing year for the Football CCA . The limited availability of the training venue in Semester 1 did not dampen the effort and passion of the Josephian footballers . They continued to show resilience and commitment by training hard as they waited patiently for the school field to be converted into a turf field .
The B-Division started the football season facing tough opponents in their first round of National School Games ( NSG ) matches . As the season continued in the second round , the B-Division footballers were determined as they strove to remain undefeated until their final match . Eventually , the team emerged as Champion of League 3 where they defeated Fairfield Methodist Secondary School 5-0 at the finals .
C-Division team in great form
This accomplishment by the senior footballers undoubtedly inspired the C-Division footballers . They followed through with tremendous effort and dedication in their preparation for the C-Division NSG competition . The junior footballers were in winning forms . From December of the preceding year , all the way up to the NSG semi-final match in August 2023 , they were unbeaten after playing more than 20 friendly games and NSG matches . The only blemish to their remarkable performance was a 1-0 loss to the Singapore Sports School during the League 1 semi-final game . However , this team of talented Year 1 and Year 2 footballers rolled with the punches to win 3-1 in their next game against St Gabriel Secondary School .
The C-Division footballers made SJI proud as they achieved the 2nd runner-up position in the NSG League 1 . In doing so , the young SJI footballers sealed their reputation as one of the top 3 C-Division football teams in Singapore .
Last but not least , the combined team that consisted of B and C-Division footballers ended the 2023 football season with a comfortable 4-0 win against our perennial sports rival , Raffles Institution . SJI C-Division Captain Hamdan Rasyikin bin Imran ( ML201 ), along with Denzel Ari Thrumurgan , a former SJI footballer , skillfully scored the final two goals to enable SJI to retain and lift the Ortega Cup .
Kudos to the fantastic SJI footballers for an exceptional year . What a wonderful closure to their 2023 football season .
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