Last match of the AFO, last match to decide whether Liitto will walked away in this competition being Champions or not. We were expecting to meet Westies in the Finals but last night’s other semi-finals played concurrently with us in the next court saw Vipers edging them out with a very tight score of 4-3.
Vipers, a team whom we have defeated in the preliminary stages with a score of 3-1 is not a team to be undermined. Right from the 1st period, they played with full court pressure and within minutes, they were 2 up against us. #1 Priscilla Tan was protecting our goal as much as possible but was not able to keep the Vipers at bay as they continued with their attacks.
Not giving up, we fought relentlessly, chasing and hustling for every ball, #22 Ethel Lui eventually managed to poke a loose ball which ended up in #13 Woo Kafoong’s path who made no mistake and scored from a very tight angle. Before the end of the 1st period, this same forward pair did magic again pressuring the Vipers, #22 Ethel Lui with a superb drag shot waited till Viper’s keeper dived before releasing the shot scoring right above the fallen goalie levelling the scores for Liitto.
Both teams continued with excellent offensive and defensive play in the 2nd period but neither team found the back of the net. Liitto made a substitution in the middle of the period when #17 Carmen Teo replaced #1 Priscilla Tan who have had a great run throughout the matches played in this tournament.
Last period, scores remained at 2-2, Vipers was a tougher opponent compared to the group match. In a quick break away, one of their forwards took a quick hard shot landing the ball at the top right corner of Liitto’s net. With Vipers leading 3-2 for the next 15mins in this last period, we found much difficulty trying to bring the ball to the opponent’s half as they intercepted all the high balls and passes.
However, with less than 3 minutes remaining on the clock, #17 Carmen Teo threw a ground pass finding #77 Jasmine in the middle of court at the sideboards who immediately made a pass to #23 Karen Lu in the center. Although she was in a good position to shoot, #23 Karen Lu, following the Liitto’s motto, “Team above Self” decided to pass to # 4 Stella Chia instead. Standing at the blind side of Viper’s goalkeeper, #4 Stella Chia took a direct shot scoring the very important equaliser for the team at this crucial time. Spirits lifted and morale boosted, we were quick on the attack right from the face off , #14 Sonia Teo made a direct pass to #21 Wilna Tan and she scored in-between the keeper’s leg putting us in the lead with only 2 minutes 19 seconds left.
The last 2 minutes of the game saw every spectator on their feet as the match climaxed with Vipers taking out their goalkeeper putting in their sixth player. With all that they have left in the game, Vipers tried all that they could to level back but defending well, we counted down to the last second and celebrated ecstatically when the final whistle was blown.
Final score 4-3, Liitto clinched the AFO title and Most Valuable Player of the match went to #27 Jaime Cheong who have played consistently well throughout the tournament being the “rock” in Liitto’s defence and the pillar of support for offensive play-ups. Hard work and training have paid off for us and achieving what we have came here to achieve – AFO Champions.
Semi Finals (8 July 2011)
Driving down to the Gippsland Sports Hall in the dark, it was only 1745hrs but the sky in Sale was similar to night back home in Singapore. Warming up in the evening temperatures took us a longer while as we would not want a cold muscle strained.
Playing against the Vikings for the second time would mean revenge for them; nevertheless, we were prepared to repeat our victory to proceed to the finals tomorrow. Starting well in the 1st period, we were quick to put our names on the score sheet and we had 3 names by the end of it.
#14 Sonia Teo opened the 1st goal 5 minutes into the game with an assist by #7 Goh Woan Yan. Within minutes, #14 Sonia Teo again made her presence felt when she assisted the 2nd goal by making a quick pass to the center to #21 Wilna Tan who made no mistake putting the ball pass the Viking’s keeper. Before the end of the 1st period, #4 Stella Chia scored the 3rd goal from a built up of play by defender #27 Jaime Cheong dribbling past 2 Viking players.
Despite being 3 goals down, the Vikings continued to fight hard as they were not ready to give a shot at the Finals up but their attempts were daunted by #17 Carmen Teo who was saving well in goal. However with 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd period, they managed to pull a goal back but we replied almost immediately through #21 Wilna Tan, assisted by #27 Jaime Cheong making the score 4-1 to us.
Last 20 minutes to go and by this time, temperatures’ dropping to a low of 12 º C as it was already almost 1945hrs on the clock. Liitto continued dominating the game with ball possession. Midway into the 3rd period, #21 Wilna Tan had a breakaway chance when she intercepted a miss pass by the opponents and scoring with a backhand rebounder after her first shot hit the keeper. But this did not stop her as she continued the damage on the Vikings by putting in the 6th goal with 4 minutes left in the game.
Final score 6-1 - which means Liitto is through to the Finals tomorrow!
Day 3 of Competition (8 July 2011)
Match 4 It’s a day of tough competition as we know the team Westies we are facing have been quite consistent and winning their opponents only drawing to Vipers.
0955hrs – The start of 1st period and both teams were right at each other’s neck when both played offensively in possession of the ball. The breakthrough came at around 9 minutes when #21 Wilna Tan took a ground shot at the keeper and #7 Goh Woan Yan immediately went for the rebound scoring against the 1.8m tall Westie keeper with a backhand shot. Happiness was short-lived for us though when Westies replied within minutes before the end of the 1st period with a far shot and a screener in front of our goalkeeper #1 Priscilla Tan.
In the 2nd period, Liitto continued the pressure and forced Westies back into their half of defense. Trying many attempts with various angles of shots, we eventually put one in through #4 Stella Chia who received the free hit pass from #77 Jasmine Giam in the right corner. The keeper was screened by #34 Jacintha Chua and the Westies defenders were on #27 Jaime Cheong as she ran in as the decoy for the blind side shot.
Having a narrow 2-1 lead in the 3rd period, we were dominating in the 3rd period. Unfortunately, with a defensive error with 2 minutes remaining, the Westies counter-attacked taking a high shot which hit the top of the goal post but rebounded back to another forward who then seize the opportunity scoring when #1 Priscilla Tan was down.
Although the match ended in a draw, Liitto still topped the table with 9 points and Westies tailing closing behind with 8 points. The semi-finals in the evening will be a match against Pakenham, the 4th place team whom we met on the 1st day of competition.
Semi-Finals We won the semi-finals but we are too tired for the report. Will be resting for the finals.
Day 2 of Competition (7 July 2011)
Match 3 Waking up to sore muscles after the first day of matches, our first game of day 2 at 1020hrs started a little slow as we only managed to put in the first goal though #14 Sonia Teo, assisted by #23 Karen Lu after 10 minutes into the first period.
This game against Sharks, a New South Wales team turns out to be a very physical game as they were always using their huge frames to body-check our players. Nonetheless with our quick feet and one-touch passes, we were able to penetrate into the defenses of the Sharks putting in another 2 goals in the 2nd period through #23 Karen Lu’s slap shot into the net from almost half court distance and #77 Jasmine Giam following a nice long pass from #27 Jaime Cheong.
Shark had their chances but #1 Priscilla Tan was determined to shut them out to keep a clean sheet and denied them many times.
Going into the last period, the Sharks compacted themselves in front of their goal and we had difficulty finding the net but within minutes to the final whistle, #48 Sam Peili scored her very first international goal driving in from the right which left the Sharks battled and bruised with a 4-0 defeat.
Match 4 With a couple of hours before our next game, we decided to head back to our cozy apartment for some rest and a team DVD session before preparing to face a stronger opponent, Vipers, another New South Wales team, Sharks’ seniors at 1645hrs.
Being the senior team, they played ¾ pressure in the first period and we were playing a more cautious game against them. The 1st period saw both teams testing each other’s goal keeper with #17 Carmen Teo in goal. Both were unable to score leaving the 1st period 0-0.
Switching to a higher gear in the 2nd period, #77 Jasmine Giam eventually found the back of Viper’s net when she spin and took a drag shot right through their keeper’s hands. This lifted up the morale of whole team and we went on to score a quick 2nd goal when #58 Wenna Lee took a rebounder of #27 Jaime Cheong’s far shot.
Vipers were all out to fight back as they played full court pressure throughout the whole of 3rd period. With their forwards putting high pressure at top speed, our defenders were taken to test and after approximately 8 minutes into the 3rd period, the referee allowed the goal although they score through butting the ball into our net.
With the high tempo, both teams were very physical however; Vipers were given a few 2 minutes penalty for pushing fouls and repeated offences. Seizing the opportunity with power play, #14 Sonia Teo made a perfect pass from the corner of the boards to #23 Karen Lu who made no mistake when she was left unmarked sneaking in from their blind side.
With that last goal, Liitto achieved their 4th consecutive victory with the final score 3-1 against the New South Wales team. The last group game against the Perth team, Westies will be commencing tomorrow at 0955hrs. This will be the toughest team to be as they are currently 2nd in the group table after us.
Till tomorrow, signing off at 10⁰C here in Melbourne…
Day 1 of Competition (6 July 2011)
Match 1 11.9 - That was the temperature our team started playing our first match at 1050hrs against Pakenham, a Victorian team whom we defeated in 2008 AFO.
Seeing some familiar faces, we started our first game on a great note being 1 up scored by #21 Wilna Tan and assisted by #23 Karen Lu in the 1st period. Having to adjust playing in such cold temperature, our players were constantly sipping water to keep their throats wet as it was easy to choke on a dry one.
The Vikings managed a goal back with a free hit in front of our goal as they took a quick shot through our unprepared wall. However, we were quick to reply when #21 Wilna Tan, who was very much on form, lead the team with her experience with 2 previous AFO tournaments scored her 2nd to take us in the lead again.
The 3rd period saw both teams chasing hard for every loose ball despite difficulty breathing in the cold air. Grabbing the opportunity from a loose ball rebounding off the back of our goal from the boards, the Vikings lobbed the ball over our keeper in goal, #1 Priscilla Tan who had played a fantastic game saving many shots when the opponents broke into the center of our defense.
With consistency and teamwork, #21 Wilna Tan did her magic for the 3rd time and completed her hat-trick before the end of 2nd period bring the score to 3-1.
With 5mins left in the 3rd period, #77 Jasmine Giam scored the last goal at the blind side with an assist from #4 Stella Chia from almost mid court, bringing the final score to 4-2.
Both teams shooked on a fair game and with that, Liitto had just won their first match with the start of the long-awaited AFO tournament.
Match 2 Warming up for the 2nd time, we were getting ready for our 2nd match against a team called Sale Chargettes, a relatively new team formed prior to this AFO. Playing on their home ground, the Sale team put up a very good fight against the dominating us.
In the first few minutes of the 1st period, Liitto took the lead with #4 Stella Chia taking a direct slap shot scoring at the top right of the opponent's net with an assist pass from #27 Jaime Cheong. Soon after, we extended the lead to 2-0 with well-received pass from #21 Wilna Tan and a nice goal tapped in by #14 Sonia Teo to end the 1st period.
With 80% ball possession, we were soon scoring another 2 goals compliments from #4 Stella Chia with her 2nd goal screened by #14 Sonia Teo and #27 Jaime Cheong following a perfect drop pass from #34 Jacintha Chua. The Sale team however, had their chances and made full use of it when it broke away shooting pass #1 Priscilla Tan at her right near post making the score 4-1. With no time to lose, #7 Goh Woan Yan at her 3rd AFO appearance, put her name on the score sheet in the final seconds before the end of the 2nd period.
Starting 5-1 in the last period, our players by now are feeling the lactic acid building up in their body as they had played 5 periods in a day which is not a common practice back in Singapore. Nevertheless, we fought fearlessly against the towering Aussies whom most stood almost a head taller than all our players.
In her first AFO appearance, #58 Wenna Lee managed to place the ball at the back of Sale's net with #27 Jaime Cheong assisting. Within minutes, #23 Karen Loo made the score 7-1 assisted by #21 Wilna Tan. Finally scoring the 8th goal, #4 Stella Chia who followed #21 Wilna Tan in her first game, did her hat-trick with 3 seconds left in the final period, assisted by #58 Wenna Lee.
Ending on a high note on Day 1 of the competition, we won both matches 4-2 and 8-1 against the Vikings, Pakenham and the home ground team, Sale respectively.
It was a great start for us and we are looking to have an even better day (and warmer weather) tomorrow against Sharks at 1020hrs and Vipers at 1645hrs (Melbourne Time).
Till tomorrow...
AFO Preparation (25th June 2011)
With the Australian Floorball Open 2011 (AFO) starting in less than two weeks time, the team is pretty much excited and anxious to be back in the AFO scene after missing out in the previous two year’s AFO tournament. With a very good mixture of players from both Liitto FC and Protégé FC, everyone is geared up physically and mentally for the tournament. Playing 2 games in a day seems fun to anyone, but playing 2 games a day for 4 consecutive days in a 12 – 15 degrees climate is no joke. The team has been undergoing additional weekly physical trainings since February to build up on individual stamina and fitness level. Apart from the usual weekly court training, and premiership league games, the team has been discipline enough to train on their own account. We consider ourselves lucky because AFO begins right after the ladies premiership ends, which means we are still in the very competitive and high intensity mode and our body would have been physically conditioned to push further. Onwards we charge ! Fast Facts AFO 2007 – Champion AFO 2008 – Champion Players 1. Carmen Teo 2. Priscilla Tan 3. Stella Chia 4. Goh Woan Yuan 5. Ka Foong 6. Sonia Teo 7. Wilna Tan 8. Ethel Lui 9. Karen Loo 10. Janice Tan 11. Jaime Cheong 12. Jacintha Chua 13. Sam Pei Li 14. Wenna Lee 15. Jasmine Giam
Event
Australian Floorball Open 2011 6th - 9th July 2011 Gippsland Regional Sports Complex Sale, Victoria