Written by: Sng En Teng, Christabelle
Edited by: Angelina Grace Pandiman
Photos by: Eusoff Works
When it comes to legendary Interhall Games rivalries, there is only one that comes to mind. That is, the age-old ‘sports hall’ rivalry between the inhabitants of Supper Stretch. Aside from the multiple fixture clashes, the evening got off to a good start. It was all smiles for EHunited’s ladies as they laced up their boots in preparation for one of the fiercest matchups thus far. Having fended off King Edward VII Hall in the semi-finals in the torrential downpour, this spot in the grand finals was a well deserved one. The culmination of this season’s efforts concentrated in a singular matchup against Temasek. Our ladies were in for a tough fight. The fact that Temasek had more experienced players left our ladies unfazed as they stepped out on the Astro Turf, fired up and ready to play.
Leading our charge to victory was EHunited’s captain, Clae. In a game so finely balanced and tightly matched, everything had to go according to plan. Coaches Rena and Mo devised an intuitive plan to outwit our opponents – it was up to EHunited’s ladies to bring it to life. Each line had a specific objective to meet and they decided upon making the first line more defensive, in the event that the game moved onto a penalty shootout and the second going for the more offensive route to secure that win.
Kicking off the first set of the final game was Alicia, Avina, Elis and Jules. The match began with both sides looking to assert themselves. There was no way of telling the two teams apart; for every shot that EHunited would take, Temasek retaliated with another. Fortunately for us, Avina was on her toes throughout, making crucial saves in the nick of time and opening up opportunities for our ladies. Every successful tackle was coupled with a tenacious shot at the goal. Alicia, Elis and Jules put up one of this season’s best defences, depriving our opponents of any clear shot to obtain a goal.
The first set ended with a score of zero to zero. With their mission complete, EHunited’s first line passed the baton onto the second, whose objective was to lock in those goals. Taking on that delicate task was Clae, Lily, Nikki and Xin Tian. A constant bombardment of EHunited’s attacks on the opponent’s defence reached a climax at the second minute of the second set. Temasek sent a long ball across the field, which was stopped by Nikki. Nikki seized the opportunity to pass the ball over to Lily who was situated by the halfway mark. Lily relays the ball over to Xin Tian who drives it toward the post. The shot hits the post. Xin Tian’s quick thinking fires the rebound ball into the goal. Score for EHunited! A textbook example of a spectacular set up for a “lucky goal”, as Clae would describe it.
line 1 erupts into cheers and a team huddle mid-game as we managed to score a goal!
A goal in the first half was not enough to take the title, EHunited’s ladies still had a ton of work coming up – defending the 1-0 lead. Determined to do so, EHunited’s ladies trudged forward with all their might, pressing and pushing the bounds of Temasek’s game tactics. Temasek was most definitely not going to hand the championship over to our girls on a silver platter. They fought back with an unprecedented ferocity, deeming every shot as a chance to strike the post. But to their dismay, none of the shots came to fruition. At the final minute of the last set, Temasek makes a chase for the ball and sends it over to the corner, and Nikki swoops in to get hold of it. Knowing that this could very well be the last opportunity to score, Nikki sends the ball over to Temasek’s half, landing it dangerously close to the post. Just as the ball was beginning to gain traction, the referee blew a long whistle. A brief moment of anticipation and uncertainty befell, was the final set over? Did EHunited manage to take it? Yes, yes we did.
The final long whistle goes off, and our girls edged out our rivals by one. Scenes of joy and exuberation erupted as our ladies brought back the title today. The stars truly aligned for Eusoff as football seals the deal for our trio of gold (perhaps a little Sports Director birthday magic had a part to play in this as well).
Celebrations were underway as Eusoff had managed to deliver yet another IHG upset. A marvellous end to one of the most challenging seasons that EHunited has seen. As Edinson Cavani would put it, “Everybody knows that in Football, anything can happen.” The victory over sporting giant Temasek will go down in our history books. Phenomenal work ladies!
While in the midst of processing this unexpected win, Clae would like to encourage EHunited’s boys to “have trust in yourself and one another” because you are more than capable of winning (as demonstrated by their exceptional performance in the Semi finals).
Even though the season got off to a rather rocky start, EHunited’s efforts and resolution have made it a magnificent journey to watch. As this chapter of EHunited’s adventure draws to a close, Captain Clae would like to leave some parting words.
“I’m proud of everyone and today’s win proved that our 7am trainings were not in vain. Even though only eight of us played today, I believe that everyone on the team contributed to the goal and it’s everyone’s goal. Once again, I’m damn proud of all of you and I love y’all!”
A big thank you to everyone who has supported our ladies throughout this journey. We’d like to give a special mention to the coaches and team for their resilience and constant dedication; Eusoff Works photography and videography departments for making the trip to catch our ladies in all their glory; SMC logistics and publications for their hard work throughout this IHG season; and last but not certainly the least, our Eusoffians for being EHunited’s top fans.
With that being said, EHunited signs off for the 21/22 season.
shoutout to our keepers for keeping calm and making marvellous saves throughout the game! <3
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