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LUMEN | ACHIEVEMENTS
The Long AwaitedGoal
SJI B Division football team emerges South Zone champions .
By Sophia Evangeline Goh Yi Qing
On 1 April , the SJI Football Team played in the B Division South- Zone Finals against
Queensway Secondary School . Held at Tampines Safra Stadium , the match concluded with a gold medal for the boys , with a score of 1-0 to SJI .
The 80-minutes match with an additional 20-minutes of extra time was an exciting one . Throughout the match , the boys from SJI were not intimidated by the immense skill shown by their opponents ; instead , they held on with determination , defended well and never stopped running , placing a lot of pressure on their opponents .
“ For every loose ball or 50-50 ball , an SJI player would be there to challenge and win it more often than not ,” said Team Captain Elliot Ng ( Fintan 401 ).
As the match continued , it became increasingly intense and frustrating . Despite playing for 80 minutes , the score remained the same : 0-0 . Yet , the SJI players encouraged one another , and stayed united throughout the match . Fortunately , their patience was soon rewarded . In the second half of extra time , Elliot played a long ball to Nasrul Matin ( Marcian 301 ), who passed the ball across the penalty box to Jared Ng ( Lawrence 302 ). Thereafter , Jared shot from the edge of the 6-yard box , and the ball sunk deep into the bottom left corner of the net , scoring the winning goal - the only one in the match .
Jared , whose goal is his third of the season , was ecstatic and pleasantly surprised by the goal , and attributes it to the hard work of his team mates . “ I am quite shocked actually . But I could not have done it if not for the sheer hard work of everyone else in the team . I feel very proud of what this team has achieved ,” he said , when asked about his goal after the match .
With this victory , the team clinched the Gold Medal of the B Division South Zone Football - a goal they have had right from the start . For the boys , the result was a culmination of all their hard work and effort . “ We trained really hard for the match . Ever since we got knocked out early last year , we trained 3 times a week , even coming back on Saturdays and holidays . We really wanted to win so we trained as hard as we could ,” remarked striker Mari Martinez ( Lawrence 402 ). Elliot added , “ The team was extremely motivated
and determined to win it this year . What we lacked in the area of skill was made up with sheer hard work and teamwork .” Their hard work had paid off as their incredible talent shone through throughout the match .
How has the team changed and improved over the years ?
Time is definitely an important factor to consider . “ Having been together as a team for 3 to 4 years , I think what has developed is a lot of our understanding of each other ’ s game and play style , such as the type of runs or passes a player usually does a match . Another big improvement is the mentality of players - to never stop pressing the opponents despite fatigue , as well as the effort and determination it requires ,” concludes Elliot . Indeed , if one has to identify the key drivers of this win , it would undeniably be the chemistry between the players , as well as their constant determination to press on and never let go .
The SJI Football Team will be playing in the Nationals after this crucial win . They hope to obtain top 4 in Nationals . Ending their season on an even sweeter note – that is their goal .
This page ( top ): Waving the SJI flag with pride This page ( inset ): Elliot receiving the trophy This page ( bottom ): The South-Zone Champions