by Sara Merican, Victoria Junior College
It was the final day of the inaugural ASEAN School Games Water Polo Tournament, held at the ACS (Independent) swimming pool. The weather was good, and remained sunny throughout the two matches held today – Malaysia vs Indonesia and Singapore vs Thailand.
First up was the match between Malaysia and Indonesia. The first few minutes of the first quarter were uneventful, with passes made back and forth between the players with no clear attempt at the goal. However, 4 minutes into the match, both teams stepped up their game and began to play more aggressively. Indonesia’s shot at a goal was deftly saved by Malaysia’s goalkeeper, Chee Huan Song. Chee proved to be an asset in the Malaysia team, saving countless goals from the Indonesian side throughout the entire match.
First up was the match between Malaysia and Indonesia. The first few minutes of the first quarter were uneventful, with passes made back and forth between the players with no clear attempt at the goal. However, 4 minutes into the match, both teams stepped up their game and began to play more aggressively. Indonesia’s shot at a goal was deftly saved by Malaysia’s goalkeeper, Chee Huan Song. Chee proved to be an asset in the Malaysia team, saving countless goals from the Indonesian side throughout the entire match.
The 1st half ended with Malaysia leading by a score line of 1-0, to the joy and relief of their supporters who had been shouting words of advice and encouragement in Chinese from the sidelines.
The 2nd and 3rd quarters saw a more aggressive and colourful play from both teams that resulted in a 5-2 score line at the end of the 3rd quarter. A slip by an Indonesian player gave Malaysia possession of the ball, resulting in yet another goal for the Malaysian team.
Tempers flared in the 4th quarter as Indonesia fought to close the widening gap in their scores. They scored two goals in succession, bringing the score to 5-4. This was greeted by screams and shouts from the large group of Indonesian supporters that were fervently cheering the team on. Malaysia was determined not to let this trend continue, however; they scored 3 goals in succession. Even though Indonesia managed to score one last goal in the final second of the match, Malaysia won with a score of 8-5.
The Indonesian team was visibly disappointed with their results. When asked about the reason behind their loss, team captain Arieyulianto said that they had underestimated Malaysia and were extremely nervous before their match. During the match, he also said that they ‘had to do everything they could to win’. This was certainly true; they had shown true grit and determination throughout the match. Still, they were all smiles during the victory ceremony as they collected their bronze medals, posed eagerly for photographs and teased one another playfully.
The Malaysian team had won the match and played well, but they said that they were a little unhappy with how the match was umpired – 2 of their goals were not counted. However, this frustration could not overshadow their happiness in winning this match. Team captain Alex Tan said that his team played well in every respect, singling out their ‘shooting, swimming and teamwork’ as the driving force behind their success. Their achievement was no easy feat, as they had started training together only 2 weeks ago.
Up next on the sporting calendar for some of the Malaysian team members is the Batawi Cup for U-20s, which is to be held in Indonesia.
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