Crescent Girls' finally end 14 years of hurt

Crescent Girls' finally end 14 years of hurt

SINGAPORE - There were tears of joy at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium yesterday when Crescent Girls’ School regained the B Division hockey title after 14 years.

They defeated Seng Kang Secondary School 3-0 in the final of the National Schools 11-a-side Hockey Tournament.

“I’m very happy because it’s been so long since we were champions,” said captain Heather Lee, 16. “I think our hard work and perseverance really paid off.”

While their title drought lasted more than a decade, Crescent Girls’ are no strangers to the division final, having played in 10 of them since they last lifted the Cup, said teacher-in-charge Rilaini Sapari.

Last year, they were denied champions status by CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School. This year, they avenged that defeat by edging out the holders 1-0 in the semi-finals.

In yesterday’s final, both teams started cautiously and failed to score in the first half.

Crescent Girls’ stepped up a gear in the second half, with goals from Teo Wen Xin, Noorhana Ameera and Arfynna Shakira.

Said Heather: “All of us wanted to win the title so we went all out in the second half. Our coach told us, ‘Play your game. I don’t need to show you any motivational videos because I know you all want to win this game’.”

chingyl@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 15 in The Straits Times.

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