Monday, February 25, 2008

Trojans G1: Shooting [Future] Stars

Accentuate on the 'Future', mind you.

Frontliners Trojans vs. Contact Bullets.

The evening started off with warm-ups by both sides, although admittedly Contact Bullets had a more spirited warm-up, doing Snakes, keeper included. Frontliners Trojans jogged, stretched, passed, took shots and whatnot. Very unfortunately, keeper Felicia Yeow only managed to do some stretches as her goalkeeping gear arrived a little late. And that was not helpful.

Come the first half, five fresh outfield Trojans took their spots and experienced captain Serene Tan faced off. The whistle went off, and boy, oh boy, them Trojans didn't know what would happen for the next 50 minutes. But, most importantly, they were ready, come what may.

Throughout the first half, the Trojans played quite well, considering there weren't even enough people to make two lines. Kuan Yang's advice was taken to heart while Serene's presence definitely made the difference. The 'wiper' formation held tight and fended off many Bullets as if they were wearing bulletproof vests. Then Nareen started the ball rolling and a clean shot made it Trojans 1, Bullets 0.

Points of interest: Loganathan (Loga) couldn't play due to a jersey problem and was undoubtedly a little frustrated, sitting on the bench with Kuan Yang and usually another tired Trojan. Julian Tan succumbed to nervousness and (instead of slashing madly or playing dead) his stomach decided not to play much. And Kuan Yang deserves special mention for keeping cool.

Come the second half, five fatigued outfield Trojans took their spots and experienced captain Serene Tan faced off. Note the difference. Contact Bullets equalised. Loga finally released all the tension accumulated on the bench during the first half and slipped the ball into the goal. 2-1 to the Trojans. Stamina proved to be an important factor, and the Bullets shot again. 2-2.

The 'wiper' formation slowly disappeared due to increasingly blur and tired Trojans and it failed to stop the Bullets (who were shooting as if the gun was automatic). 2-3 to Bullets. And the goals kept coming. 2-4. Maybe the Trojans forgot about their bulletproof vests. 2-5. Cries by keeper Felicia went unnoticed, and finally: 2-6. And the whistle went. Thrice.

Bullets had shot down them future stars.

Team Manager Jason Chan, who kept his silence till now, called the frustrated Trojans together for a discussion. Which proved to be an impact. He explained why they lost (which included: so few players (7) compared to Contact (15); the problem of war-ups, especially for Felicia; the difference of the number of experienced players between the Trojans and Bullets; and stamina, tiredness and lactic acid). Frustration levels took a dip besides the fact of lenient refs and absent players.

Some players deserved commendation though. Serene Tan, captain who made the difference. Without her, it could have gone worse. Felicia Yeow, goalkeeper, who saved 15 out of 21 shots-on-target, not to mention the number of times she put her bare hands in danger to grab that ball. Tania Loke, forward, who raised a few eyebrows. And of course, Loga, Lavinia, and Lauren who proved their worth as one-month-old floorballers.

One down, five to go.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Trojans, you guys were awesome on Sat, defended tenaciously and converted effectively. 2 goals in 6 shots vs 6 goals in 21 shots. 1 clap for all you guys. ~Clap!!~

Special praise to Felicia, marvelous game. A lot of brave and heart-stopping saves(money well invested huh Ming Hwee? haha.). Last but not least Trojan's Capt Marvel, Serene Tan for hang on for the full 40 minutes. With your experience and inspiration Trojan stood tall. 3 claps for both of them. ~Clap!!Clap!!Clap!!~

See you guys on 1st of March, Sat, 6.30pm. Bring it on!!!