Early this week, the Penang girls made the long journey down to Singapore for a short floorball tour, playing NJC, VJC, NUS and TJC.
Penang team:
Charmaine Cheang (Contact)
Dawn Tan (Minden UniHawks)
Kao Cui Lin (Innebandy! Co)
Kew Pei Li (Frontliners)
Lavinia Lam (Nomad)
Lee Wai Wai (Minden UniHawks)
Penny Khoo (Contact)
Sarah Ng (Minden UniHawks)
Serene Tan (Contact)
Sharron Tan (Frontliners)
Sheryn Ng (Contact)
Suleen Lew (Minden UniHawks)
Tan Eeleen (Nomad)
Valerie Tan (Contact)
Coach Edward’s strategy, revealed after the trip, was to pack the defence (meaning playing the four best defenders) and hope for the best up top. Fourteen players made the trip, two goalkeepers and twelve outfield players. These twelve were loosely divided into two defensive lines and three forward lines that were chopped and changed as the games progressed.
In the Penang girls’ first game, against National Junior College, the ladies recorded a seemingly effortless 7-0 win, with Valerie grabbing four goals. What set the tone for the entire game was during the opening minutes, when Cui Lin, running free with the ball up front in the center, scored her trademark one-hand goal that left the goalkeeper just looking at the ball rolling past.
And the defenders had not yet touched the ball.
More goals followed, all in one direction, while Penang’s defence was quite comfortable dealing with the long balls throughout the game. However, the scoreline reflected unjustly on NJC, as the game was not as one-sided as it seemed. Both sides exchanged possession every few minutes; NJC just lacked the cutting edge needed to score.
The lapses by the ladies in the first game should have already set off alarm bells, and in the next game against Victoria Junior College, poor cover and communication led to a nail-biting 4-3 win for the Penangites. Superb saves by Sharron and Suleen, the two goalies, and desperate defending by the defenders were all that separated the sides.
In a see-saw match, it was mainly a question of who made more mistakes.
It was against National University of Singapore’s team that the Penang girls were really left exposed. Right from the first whistle, it was a backs-to-the-wall job for the defenders. Tactically and technically superior, NUS made full use of the court with lovely cross-court passes and excellent displays of teamplay; while Penang often needlessly gave the ball away in center court, after working hard to regain the ball in their defensive third.
Again, superb goalkeeping and desperate defending kept NUS in touching distance, but in the end, it was NUS who triumphed with a 5-4 scoreline.
For the final (and worst) game, Penang was up against Temasek Junior College. It should have been an easy win for the Penangites, but fatigue, late nights and poor discipline meant more sloppy passes, mistakes, and half-hearted play.
Penang won 3-1, an undeserved win—TJC had many more shots on goal than Penang—and Coach Edward was left fuming. The players were left alone to reflect on a below-par and unsatisfactory performance.
Overall, it was a good experience and an eye-opener for the players, most of them having never played floorball outside of Penang. For most of them, it was a fun trip down, a good time of bonding, yet underneath it all, the players were asked to think:
How far, and much, they were willing to sacrifice to go further in floorball.
...something all floorballers need to ponder.
Penang team:
Charmaine Cheang (Contact)
Dawn Tan (Minden UniHawks)
Kao Cui Lin (Innebandy! Co)
Kew Pei Li (Frontliners)
Lavinia Lam (Nomad)
Lee Wai Wai (Minden UniHawks)
Penny Khoo (Contact)
Sarah Ng (Minden UniHawks)
Serene Tan (Contact)
Sharron Tan (Frontliners)
Sheryn Ng (Contact)
Suleen Lew (Minden UniHawks)
Tan Eeleen (Nomad)
Valerie Tan (Contact)
Coach Edward’s strategy, revealed after the trip, was to pack the defence (meaning playing the four best defenders) and hope for the best up top. Fourteen players made the trip, two goalkeepers and twelve outfield players. These twelve were loosely divided into two defensive lines and three forward lines that were chopped and changed as the games progressed.
In the Penang girls’ first game, against National Junior College, the ladies recorded a seemingly effortless 7-0 win, with Valerie grabbing four goals. What set the tone for the entire game was during the opening minutes, when Cui Lin, running free with the ball up front in the center, scored her trademark one-hand goal that left the goalkeeper just looking at the ball rolling past.
And the defenders had not yet touched the ball.
More goals followed, all in one direction, while Penang’s defence was quite comfortable dealing with the long balls throughout the game. However, the scoreline reflected unjustly on NJC, as the game was not as one-sided as it seemed. Both sides exchanged possession every few minutes; NJC just lacked the cutting edge needed to score.
The lapses by the ladies in the first game should have already set off alarm bells, and in the next game against Victoria Junior College, poor cover and communication led to a nail-biting 4-3 win for the Penangites. Superb saves by Sharron and Suleen, the two goalies, and desperate defending by the defenders were all that separated the sides.
In a see-saw match, it was mainly a question of who made more mistakes.
It was against National University of Singapore’s team that the Penang girls were really left exposed. Right from the first whistle, it was a backs-to-the-wall job for the defenders. Tactically and technically superior, NUS made full use of the court with lovely cross-court passes and excellent displays of teamplay; while Penang often needlessly gave the ball away in center court, after working hard to regain the ball in their defensive third.
Again, superb goalkeeping and desperate defending kept NUS in touching distance, but in the end, it was NUS who triumphed with a 5-4 scoreline.
For the final (and worst) game, Penang was up against Temasek Junior College. It should have been an easy win for the Penangites, but fatigue, late nights and poor discipline meant more sloppy passes, mistakes, and half-hearted play.
Penang won 3-1, an undeserved win—TJC had many more shots on goal than Penang—and Coach Edward was left fuming. The players were left alone to reflect on a below-par and unsatisfactory performance.
Overall, it was a good experience and an eye-opener for the players, most of them having never played floorball outside of Penang. For most of them, it was a fun trip down, a good time of bonding, yet underneath it all, the players were asked to think:
How far, and much, they were willing to sacrifice to go further in floorball.
...something all floorballers need to ponder.
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