Written by: Jefferson Lee
Edited by: Cheng Kai Wen
Photos by: Eusoff Works
The day was finally here for the floorball girls to finish off what they started all the way back on 8th January. Just a quick recap, the girls played against KE, RH and SH on that day and were unbeaten. 2-2 against KE, 10-2 against RH and 17-0 against SH. Despite that remarkable performance, the girls still had a mountain to climb as Temasek, our arch rivals, were also hot favorites and still in the title race together with Eusoff. This made the two games today both “must win” games, in order to bring home that golden cookie. That said, Eusoff was also without her national star player, Ying ying, as she had gone on exchange, but she was still supporting on IG Live, from some 9500 miles away.
10am: Temasek
Line 1: Leeann, Anqi, Lily, Nayli, Elis
Line 2: CC, Lay Shuen, Celine, Clae, Saybah
Line 3: Zoey, Hanxi, Nich, Van, Nat
Goalkeepers: Queenie, Ong, Jovanna, Gin
Subs: Jamone, Anna, Nikki, Izzy
This game was probably the most anticipated matchup for all the floorball (F) viewers as both floorball giants finally faced each other. Both teams had their flairs and it was up to them to show who was more deserving of the title this season. The game began and it was heated right from the very start. Shots from Saybah came flying in and she even hit their crossbar under a minute into the game. Apart from that, it was really a good game to watch for the neutrals as both teams showed off their ball control and ball playing talents. Anqi was controlling the defense and not letting any balls pass through her, stopping a few potential clear goalscoring 1 on 1 chances by TH. Zoey was also doing the same for her line, defending and clearing all the loose balls near our goal. Anqi was so good she was not only defending but she even did some clean dribbles and sick spins, smoking the TH players, leaving them for dead as she drove forward with the ball and created some really good chances. The first period ends in a nil nil draw.
The second period was when the girls knew they had to start converting their chances. But it was a worrying display for the Eusoff supporters as the girls were still firing off target despite having many good chances this period. The girls dominated the play but saw themselves trailing 7 minutes into this period when TH luckily converted a loose ball that dropped all the way behind our defense upon one of their clearances. Eusoff 1 - 0 Temasek. It was not over though. The girls kept their momentum and put in an even harder shift and were firing shots on target from every corner of the court. With 3 minutes left on the clock, Zoey went for goal from her own half of the court as she found space, and she found it at the back of the net, equalizing the game and putting the girls back in the game. Eusoff 1 - 1 Temasek. It was a crucial equalizer as it set the tone and reignited the team’s morale which was evident from how the Eusoff girls attacked relentlessly when the game restarted. Eusoff came really close to putting themselves up before the end of the second period, with good efforts by Lay and Elis, but the second period ultimately ended in a one one draw.
ElisTooFastForTH
It all boiled down to the final period. The next goal was vital and it was likely that it would seal the fate of the game. Just under two minutes after the start of the third period, a good dangerous attack from Van and Zoey won Eusoff a corner which was then then passed around, then to CC, and then to Nayli who hits a quick and sharp cross to Lily who tapped it home to give Eusoff the lead for the first time of this game. Eusoff 2 - 1 Temasek! The girls were in the zone, especially Elis who immediately won the faceoff and even dribbled the entire TH team and jumped over the TH defenders but missed the 1 on 1 with their goalie. The rest of the period was all Eusoff as they kept attacking and recollecting the occasional clearances from TH’s backline. Unfortunately, one of these clearances fell to a TH player all the way in front of Eusoff’s goal and she tapped an equalizer in for TH. Eusoff 2 - 2 Temasek. Everyone in yellow sighed and were on tenterhooks - but not these mentality monsters on the courts. The girls fought on hard. Zoey unleashed her inner messi and was causing a lot of troubles for TH. 3 TH girls had to track her down just to barely stop her from advancing further. Despite all that, Zoey still managed to dribble her way through and make space for herself to bang one bullet of a shot on target, straight at the keeper, who fails to catch it securely but spills it into her own net. EUSOFF RESTORES THEIR LEAD. Eusoff 3 - 2 Temasek! The girls continued to attack hard, to extend their lead, but also hold off any TH player that came their way, with class and composure. Hanxi, Anqi, CC were defending remarkably and the girls held it out till the final whistle. EUSOFF BEAT TEMASEK 3-2. The debate was over. It was Eusoff’s season this IHG! One more win was needed to secure the IHG champions title now…
The golden cookie was brewing...
12pm: Kent Ridge
The girls knew this game was a must win. They were also the hot favorites going into this game against Kent Ridge.
Slight changes to lineups:
Line 1: Anqi, Leeann, Lily, Nayli, Saybah
Line 2: CC, Lay, Celine, Elis, Jamone, Izzy
Line 3: Zoey, Hanxi, Nich, Nat, Van
Goalkeepers: Gin, Ong, Queenie, Jovanna
Subs: Clae, Anna
As expected, from the moment the whistle was blown, the girls dominated the play by far. Apart from some weak long shots from KR’s only star player, Gin was having a quiet day at the back as KR was kept at bay by the solid defensive work done by Lay, Hanxi and Anqi. There were many good chances for Eusoff to take the lead, but they were all just slightly shy of the goal, and won a lot of corners instead. Interesting link up plays between Celine and CC also bossed the courts. Celine was having a field day as she controlled the midfield and put the pressure well on KR. KR had a few dangerous attacks, but Gin was there to make some point blank saves. Nat, Saybah, Anqi and Zoey were all taking shots, and some even came off the goalpost. With under a minute left till the end of the first period, Celine broke the deadlock as she scores Eusoff’s first, putting them 1 goal up at the end of the first period. Eusoff 1 - 0 KR.
Lily beaming from ear to ear, knowing KR has nothing on her.
In the second period, the girls continued riding on their momentum. Lay, Lily, Anqi, Elis, Nayli were literally lining up to shoot at KR’s goal. Celine almost scores Eusoff’s second and even got the team and crowds celebrating but the referee claims it did not cross the line. Zoey and Hanxi were rock solid at the back as usual, putting a stop to any frail attempts forward by KR. Around halfway into the second period, Nayli fired home the second goal into the bottom left corner after Saybah’s shot came off the KR keeper. Eusoff 2 - 0 KR. With about 3 minutes left, Leeann accidentally tripped a KR player and got 2 minutes out. It was a penalty to KR and Queenie stepped up in goal. During the penalty, the KR player took her time and even stopped moving forward, hence the referee called the penalty over and the game resumed with KR blowing the opportunity to net 1 back. The second period ended with Eusoff up by 2 goals.
Finally, it was 15 minutes until the girls were IHG champions. The girls were in safe hands with Queenie in goal this final period. All of them were driving forward and trying to score to extend their lead even more. KR was not sitting back and also came close as one of their shots hit Eusoff’s goal post. In the midst of all the high intensity floorball, KR managed to score one back from a free hit near goal. Eusoff 2 - 1 KR. The girls were giving it their all and under a minute after KR’s goal, Nayli scored her second goal to restore Eusoff’s 2 goal cushion! Eusoff 3 - 1 KR. It was a commendable goal as Nayli shot from a tight angle along the left wing. Apart from a few more good saves from Queenie and good shots from the girls (and Hanxi being sent out for 2 mins for slashing), the game ended 3 - 1 to Eusoff and the girls concluded their IHG 22/23 season as CHAMPIONS!
Celebrating the big W.
Much congratulations for the girls for beating all competition and emerging as Floorball (F) Champions! And a job well done to the captain, Zoey, for fulfilling her promise (from earlier on this AY from her Captains Series interview), where she promised all Eusoffians the championship title 100%. ENJOY THE GOLDEN COOKIE GIRLS!
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