Singapore Hockey Federation

The YOG U16 Girls National team finished 4^th place in the recent FHE Cup U-16, played in the Hale Hockey Stadium, Perth (Australia) last week, prior to their international preparation for the YOG.

The young Singaporeans lost their first match in the Pool, against Japan 2-0 (1-0 in half time), showing a very good level of composure despite the higher standard of the Japanese team, creating chances in the 2^nd half. In the 2^nd match, Singapore faced the best team of the tournament; the strong West Australia County (who won the final against Japan 3-1). It was a fast-paced match with plenty of faults and transitions in every half of the pitch. An unfortunate action at the end of the 1^st half gave the advantage to WA, and despite the effort of our young girls in the 2^nd half, the score remained at 1-0. It was a huge improvement compared to the Pacific School Games last year, when the same team defeated Singapore 6-0.

The last match of the Pool was insignificant as both Singapore and South West Australia County had lost their two previous matches. The young Singaporean team did well against their opponent, almost forcing a draw in the 2^nd half. The SWA County led the match through a penalty corner in the 1^st half but the Singapore team maintained possession during the 2^nd half but could not score despite creating chances.

The final match was played between the two teams again for 3^rd/4^th placing last Sunday. Although the Singapore team did not improve on the scoreline from their previous match, their performance was much better. It was the best match of the tournament for our U-16 girls in terms of attacking actions. Despite the girls putting their opponents under pressure, the match ended 2-0 in the 1^st half. Singapore created a few chances in the 2^nd half and was able to reduce the scoreline to 2-1, thanks to Suriati Sonny. The team was looking for a draw from at least the penalty strokes, but the Australians took advantage of the only counter attack in the 2^nd half and increased the final score to 3-1. It was a dubious call from the umpire as the Aussie player scored while our defenders and GK had stopped after the whistle blow. The umpire however decided that it was an advantage law after the whistle was blown. Nevertheless, our young players pushed on till the end to try to reduce the score but to no avail.

The Technical Staff and officials were very proud of our young players, who had shown commitment and composure to playing at high level against international teams with better standard. The future looks good for our young U-16 girls.

FHE CUP U16 GIRLS - RESULTS

Pool

Japan, 2 - Singapore, 0

West Australia, 6 - South West Australia, 0

Japan, 4 - South West Australia, 0

West Australia, 1 - Singapore, 0

Japan, 0 - West Australia, 0

Singapore, 0 - South West Australia, 1

3rd / 4th Placing

Singapore, 1 - South West Australia, 3

Final

West Australia, 3 - Japan, 1