“The ball is round; Anything can happen”: Floorball A Division Girls 3rd/4th Placing

Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Valerie Ng (25S06N)

If you had gone down to watch the Floorball A Division Girls 3rd/4th Placing match, you would have been greeted with a gust of cool wind as you entered the air-conditioned hall in Our Tampines Hub. The air, you find, though ever so slightly cold, was far from still.

Peering down from the spectator stands, you would have seen the players from both Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) and Raffles Institution (RI) on their halves of the court, getting ready for the impending match. It’s the first time the Floorball girls have managed to fight their way to the 3rd/4th playoffs. You would have watched on as the players performed drills they knew like the back of their hand, warming themselves up for what’s to come. This match would be an important one, to say the least. It’s the first time the Floorball girls have managed to fight their way to the 3rd/4th playoffs.

A shrill blow of the whistle. A swift motion of the stick. Raffles gains possession of the ball, and from there on out, a flurry of activity ensues. There is a constant chase-down of the ball (and the person who currently is controlling it), the opponent persistently trying to use their stick to get an edge (or a hook) over the ball in hopes of turning over possession.

We watch on, and before we know it, 4 minutes have passed. 11.12am. After a short tussle in the further half of the court, TMJC steadily emerges from the chaos with the ball, and guides it smoothly towards the goal. Another chasedown. The Raffles goalkeeper is on her knees in her stance. A Raffles player attempts to cut into the path of the ball that has just been hit towards the goal, but to no avail. The ball finds its way into the goal, and the sight of the net’s movement that confirms the impact of the ball makes it concrete. TMJC has scored their first goal.

Both teams huddle into a circle; one rejoices and one regroups. But it’s not for long until they make their respective ways back onto the court, getting ready for another face-off.

11.19am. A TMJC player manages to find a gap in the defence put up by 2 of our Raffles players, and hits the ball – as if it has its own resolve – into the net through a small hole between the body of a player who has been persistently pushing the opponent away from the goal and the arm of the goalkeeper. TMJC scores their second goal.

11.24am. A tussle between both teams ensues beyond the goalpost, but the ball shortly emerges from the struggle and into TMJC #11’s control. She spares no time, hitting the ball into the top left corner of the goal with a swift lift of her stick. TMJC scores their third goal.

The first third has ended, and things don’t seem to be in Raffles’ favour; each point scored by their opponent an extra weight on their backs. In the spectator stands, student supporters fervently hope for the comeback of their lives; though it seems like a near-impossible for Raffles to catch up with their opponents. Will they crack under the pressure, or will they rise to the occasion? Only time will tell.

After five minutes, the second third begins. The players return to the court, getting ready for yet another face-off. Maybe this third will hold definite promise for Raffles.

11.38am. Raffles’ corner pass. Raffles’ #18 hits the ball. It misses the goal, but as if giving her another chance, rebounds off the goalkeeper’s leg back to her. She wastes no time, quickly finding the ball and hitting it again. Now, with a twist of fate, the ball once again bounces off the goalkeeper’s leg, but this time into the goal. It takes less than a moment for it to sink in. Raffles has scored their first goal.

11.44am. Raffles’ #23 intercepts the ball, changing direction in pursuit of it while her TMJC rival is still reacting to all that has just unfolded. She is open until two other opponents close in on her in an attempt to stop her from attacking, but this proves to be fruitless. Before they can get too close, she swings her stick forward, sending the ball flying towards the goal. It all happened too quickly; the goalkeeper on TMJC’s end had no time to react. And just like that, Raffles scored their second goal.

The second third comes to a close, leaving a final 17 minutes until the game ends. Raffles is down 3-2. One more opportunity, one more swing of the stick, one more point; that is all Raffles needs to turn things around.

12.04pm. 12 minutes after the final third has begun, and just a mere 5 minutes before the game comes to an end, Raffles’ #23 hits the ball towards the goal, but misses it. The ball rebounds off the borders set up to mark the court’s boundaries, finding Raffles’ #18 right beside the goalpost. TMJC’s goalkeeper begins to move towards the ball, but she is quicker to react, quicker to respond. She guides the ball and it rolls, as if attracted, straight into the goal.

They’ve done it. The score is now 3-3.

The remaining 5 minutes of the game would see players from both teams playing their hearts out in a bid to score the final point that would seal the deal, but also continuing the relentless chase of the ball in order to prevent the opposing team from scoring. The efforts from both teams certainly match up, and after what would be the most intense 5 minutes of the match, the whistle blows shrilly once again, this time marking the end of the game.

The even score of 3-3 would send the game into the penalty segment. The commentator reminds spectators to allow the players complete silence – they would need laser focus. If you thought the previous hour was a nailbiter of a match, the minutes soon to follow would render you practically peeling your fingernails out of their beds.

Raffles’ #23 is the first one up. She comes face to face with TMJC’s goalkeeper, skilfully manoeuvring the stick and guiding the ball. Until the ball strays out of her control. She returns to the sideline, teammates all the while applauding and ready to comfort her. In the meantime, TMJC’s #5 steps onto the court. She takes her time, guiding the ball left and right with her stick until she finds an opening in the defence. Hit. Score. 1-0.

Raffles’ #11 is up next, and she, too, tries to find a gap for her to score the goal, but seconds later, the ball deflects off the goalkeeper’s shoulder. On the other end, TMJC’s #18 hesitates for a moment too long, and neither team scores for this round of penalties.

One final chance for Raffles to even out the score. Will they keep themselves in the game, or will they suffer a tough loss?

The final contender: Raffles’ #55. This penalty could make or break the game. She approaches cautiously, guiding the ball left and right. An opening. Swing. Time seems to stand still, until it doesn’t. The ball has missed the gap by just a hair, hitting the goalkeeper’s arm.

It is over. Today, Raffles concedes defeat.

“The journey is always more important than the outcome”; every athlete knows this saying all too well, and this game truly embodied the very essence of it. The odds were stacked against them from the very beginning (Captain Amanda Ho tells us they were not favourites to win), but they pushed through nonetheless, fighting their hardest till the very end. They also demonstrated remarkable teamwork, and this brought them through to the eventual respectable result of 4th in Nationals.

As you get up to leave the hall, either to return to school for lessons or to grab a bite before the Floorball Boys’ Finals, you try to process all that has unfolded before your very eyes. “The ball is round; anything can happen”, their coach loves to say. Indeed, there was no telling how this game could have turned out. “Next year will hold more promising prospects for the team,” you tell yourself. And we (and Captain Amanda Ho) have full faith that this will be the case.

List of players:

Amanda Ho Rui En (24A01A) – Captain

Esther Chua Rui En (24S06D) – Vice-Captain

Julia Elizabeth Lee Shuen Shuen (24S03I) – Vice-Captain

Estee Row Tze Lin (24S06P)

Neya Jagatheeswaran (24S03L)

Pandipperumal Aaradhana (24S03B)

Teo Rei-Ann Ariel (24S03I)

Clara Chee Rui Kah (24S03A)

Hannah Kaitlyn Lawrence (24S06D)

Natalie Tan Hui-Yi (24S03R)

Durgadarshani Pandi Selvam (24S06I)