• Background of the game

SCC started the game with high pressing and their first meaningful attack came through the speed and skill of Nicola Jane who attempted a shot which went wide just three minutes into the first quarter. SCC’s offensive pass hockey paid off after six minutes when Nicola Jane attempted a shot again, but this time she made her shot count. She led the ball to the edge of the circle and finished. The shot struck in the corner of the goalpost. 1:0 for SCC.

However, SCC could not sustain the lead as Valerie from Jansenites found the equaliser as she popped up to pounce onto an error caused by SCC’s defence. With this scoreline of 1-1, both teams went into the quarter break. The second quarter commenced with SCC controlling the pace of the game and they repeatedly played their way into the D with precise passes. In the 28th minute, SCC’s Tiffany created enough space to dribble past Jansenites defence and attempted a shot, however Jansenites goalkeeper denied her effort. SCC started the third and fourth quarter at top pace as they sought to gain the lead, but Jansenites sat back and defended strongly.

Abigail Rhodes came close to giving SCC the lead in the 52nd minute but to no avail. Abigail had slithered through the Jansenites defence and swung a reverse hit which was parried away by the Jansenites goalkeeper. Besides displaying her attacking prowess, Abigail showed her defensive ability on numerous occasions throughout the game as well.   

The game ended with a score of 1-1 and points were shared as both teams fought really hard until the final whistle was blown. SCC player Abigail, who without doubt produced a commendable display was approached by Vavel after the draw and was questioned about the game. 

  • Coming into this game against a strong opponent like Jansenites, how did the team prepare for this match? Any special strategies that were implemented for this game?

“As a team, we were really hungry coming into this final game against Jansenites and we wanted to finish the league on a high. We knew we would have to work hard for each other on and off the ball and execute the basics well.”

  • Your team scored the first goal, courtesy of Nicola. What do you think about her performance today?

“Nicola is a very talented striker with an instinctive hunger to score. I can always rely on her to be in the right position to offer a pass forwards and attack the goal.”

  • There was a bit of ‘miscommunication’ among SCC defenders which led to Jansenites scoring. How do you think you and your team can prevent these kinds of scenarios?

“The league this year has run at a different time so we have not been able to field a consistent team from week to week. This has resulted in different combinations of players playing together which as a positive, shows the depth of our squad but at times teams have also caught us on the back foot.”

  • SCC dominated possession in the first half and had several shots. However, they did not materialize. Was it frustrating for you and the team for not being able to convert those chances?

“Results do not always go your way, but during a game you must remain patient and keep faith in the players around you to continue to do their job and believe in the game plan that our coach, Kanan has given us. The most important thing to take away from the weekend, is that we made lots of chances and we were really creative with our play. Finishing those chances is something that we will work on for next year.”

  • You swung a reverse hit at the start of the last quarter but it was unfortunately denied by the goalkeeper. How were you feeling at that point of time?

“Hungry to score! We started that quarter on the front foot and took the game to Jansenites. The opposition were slow to start and we must take those opportunities when they present themselves within a match.”

  • As this was your last game of this season, how did you think you and your team fared? And were there any special moments for you this season? Any learning points from this campaign?

 

“I am really happy with how the team has performed this season. Most importantly we have enjoyed playing together as a team and we have welcomed a lot of new people. As a competitive group, we will continue to develop and fight. We have some other tournaments scheduled this year including La Liga and the Pesta Sukan Hockey 5s at the end of this month, so we will be striving for success in those, you can count on that!”

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