SCS Cup Match Report: PMC vs AMC

After a morale-boosting victory over Salvation Army last week, PMC entered the next round of the SCS Cup game against AMC brimming with confidence. However, due to injuries and personal commitments, PMC had to take on the might of AMC, widely considered as one of the best teams in church soccer, with a lineup that was almost completely different from the week before. 

PMC had to deal with the absence of their central midfield from last week. With Kee Min, Dominic and Andrew unavailable, Jacob and Sheldon were tasked to fill their boots against a physically strong AMC midfield. Rusydi and Jing Zhong also returned, with Jing Zhong taking his usual position on the left and Rusydi tasked with a free role. Young Isaac also made his first start for PMC.

The game started evenly, with both teams equally matched in all departments. Both teams had good spells with the ball but failed to find the final pass when it mattered most. Therefore, the dead lock was always going to be broken via a set piece. AMC started the scoring from a corner kick, with their talismanic striker nodding the ball home from close range.

Rusydi wrestling for possession

Despite the setback, PMC responded very well, with Sheldon and Jacob providing strength and physicality in midfield. AMC failed to capitalize on their first goal and the half ended 1-0.

With the game delicately poised at 1-0, there was still all to play for in the 2nd half and PMC could not have started any better. Charging down AMC's cheeky attempt to score from the kickoff, Rusydi managed to latch on to the ball and slammed home an unstoppable half volley to level the match. The equalizer gave PMC a renewed sense of confidence while AMC seemed stunned. 

PMC started taking control of the game with Rusydi wrecking havoc in the AMC half. However, the team was profligate in their finishing, despite creating several goal scoring opportunities. It was against the run of play when AMC once again took the lead, this time from a free kick. As the ball was floated in, AMC's striker was once again unmarked, and rose highest to head the ball home from close range. 

However, there was another twist to the story, as PMC managed to equalize via a header from Daniel. AMC failed to clear their lines from a corner and Daniel managed to nod the ball over the keeper to make it 2-2. 

Daniel and Sheldon celebrating the equalizer with a dance

With the game nearing its end, AMC started to press higher up the field and pressure the PMC back four. However, our defence stood firm and managed to withstand the late onslaught. The game ended 2-2 and the outcome of the match was to be decided by a penalty shootout.

Unfortunately, there was to be no fairy tale ending, as AMC's massive goalkeeper stood firm to deny both Ming Kiat and Wei Jie in the shootout. The shootout ended 4-2 to AMC. Despite the result, there were many positives to be taken from the game, particularly the determination showed by the players and ability to move the ball around under pressure. 

This marks the end of PMC's run in the SCS Cup. Soccer fellowship will resume from 12th October onwards.

Soccer Fellowship (12th October)

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 12th October at Greenview Secondary School* (yes, the one in Pasir Ris). The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.

Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of Greenview Secondary School is 15 Pasir Ris Street 21.

SCS Cup 2013 Match Report: PMC vs Salvation Army

Team PMC came into the SCS tournament after a long season at the crossroads cup, but help came in the addition of Dom, Andrew and MK to the team. PMC started the session with Samuel leading in the song "At the cross" while Jeremy lead in devotion.

Disaster struck PMC 5 mins into the game when a 50-50 challenge that caught Jem's ankle caused him to limp off the field. However, PMC continued to play well with Andrew and Dom holding the midfield. The first goal came when Yi Jun came running in from the far side of the left flank to head in a cross by Dom. PMC kept up the pressure throughout the first half and this time Lincoln found the back of net to make it 2-0 for PMC. However, Salvation Army was persistent in their attack and came back with a reponse to score right before half time, making 2-1.

Andrew runs the midfield for PMC

Jem goes down under a heavy challenge

Team PMC came in vigilant in the second half, determined to keep their one goal lead. The defence continued to hold their own against the Salvation Army counter parts. While the midfield continued to play well with Isaac and MK making good runs down the flank. PMC continued to hold possession of the ball and even make a couple of good attempts at goal. A great goal scoring opportunity came when Jeremy Tan took a shot at goal from close range, only to see it come off the crossbar. While PMC missed many good chances, Salvation Army managed to capitalise on theirs. A loose ball that was not picked out in the PMC defence gave the opponent's striker a clear shot at goal to make it 2-2. PMC did not want to let the game go to penalties and continued to pressure the Salvation Army defence and sending more players up. Breakthrough came when a decisive touch by Dominic from a long ball saw the ball roll into the net and put PMC back in the lead. It was a soft goal but a goal nonetheless. PMC continued to keep the ball until the referee blew the final whistle. It was smiles all round at the end as team PMC moves on to the next round of the SCS cup.

 Dom takes on 2 opponents

 'Man-of-the-match' Samuel defends well all match

SCS Cup 2013 Match Report: OLD vs CMC (15th September)

Team OLD returned to competitive football after a hiatus of 3 years, with many team mates not seeing each other for quite a while. The team also welcomed quite a number of new faces such as Alvin Chan, Eddie Wong, Eddie Boh and Vincent Ang. Having not played together at all prior to this match, the aim was clearly to just enjoy the run-out and hope for the best. With the average age of the team in the high 40s, everyone's expectations were reasonable given the relative youth of the opponents.

Before the match, Mark Chan from CMC started the usual pre-match proceedings of devotions, and shared about his past week and the reality of God during that time.

The match kicked off with CMC only having 11 players and OLD having 14. However, it was evident from the start that the team in white were clearly going to exploit their quickness to unsettle their older opponents. The exchange in the first 5min was quite even, with both teams probing and trying to find a breakthrough. OLD came the closest during this time when a half-cleared cross found its way to Eddie Wong to rifled a fierce shot at goal, which the CMC GK was able to parry away. From then however, it was CMC who threatened more and by the 10th min, they got their first goal when a cross was inadvertently turned into his own net by Felix. Being 1-0 up, the CMC players kept on pegging away and a combination of long, short balls as well as speedy wing play meant that the floodgates had started to open, as OLD conceded 4 more times before the interval. It wasn't that OLD was playing particularly badly, as they managed to pass and control the ball in periods, but schoolboy errors in defence led to easy goals being let in. It also didn't help that Mark Leong had to limp off mid-way through the first half, leaving some re-organisation in the defensive ranks.

The 2nd half started with CMC reduced to 10 men as they had a player injured. The irony of the situation was despite being a man short, they opened the scoring when a stand-offish defence allowed the CMC striker to waltz his way right through to a one-on-one situation against Sean. This happened a 2nd time, before OLD woke up and scored a good goal, playing the ball out of defence, and Kevin threading it through to Eddie Wong, who finished nicely from the left. At 7-1, the referee decided to award CMC a penalty when Eddie Boh brought down a CMC player in the box, allowing CMC to score their 8th goal. What stunned everyone was that directly from the kick-off, Eddie Wong blasted the ball into the top corner of the net with some wonderful technique, to make it 8-2. The score stayed that way despite some good work from OLD in trying to pull more goals back, but the many crosses sent into the box by David Sng could not be converted, ending OLD's return to competitive football.

Friendly Match Report: PMC vs OLD (8th September)

It was a throw-back to 2010 as the Veterans in gold (OLD) turned up at Greenview Sec to take on the young guns of PMC in preparation for the kick-off of the inaugural SCS Cup 2013. Many familiar Veterans like Ramon and Andy returned to the pitch, hoping to roll back the years and good times, even though bodies were further aged. Team PMC was also intent to do well with a pacier brand of football.

At kick-off, the teams seemed pretty evenly matched, with some decent passing. Certainly the speed of PMC was a threat against OLD, with some long balls almost being picked up by Yi Jun and Jingzhong. On the part of OLD, the build-up play was slow and used the target men of Ramon and Martin to hold up play before bringing others into the action. Chances were few and far between in the first 10 minutes, but the breakthrough came from PMC when a ball over the top was not cleared, leaving Yi Jun with the simplest of tasks. Team PMC was clearly finding OLD easy pickings, using their speed to great effect. Twice more PMC scored before OLD pulled one back through Ramon, who out-muscled Weijie and robbed him of the ball before blasting into the corner of the PMC net. It was 3-1 to PMC at half-time.

Some substitutions were made at the break, but with limited subs for both teams, most of the players had to press on under the sweltering heat. Being younger and fitter, it was no surprise that PMC scored first after the break, Isaac Hwa stroking nicely into the net after being put clean through from a diagonal ball. 2 more goals came, one of which was courtesy of a cheeky lob by Lincoln.

Although the game ended 6-1 in favour of PMC, OLD did not play badly, but probably needed more pairs of legs in order to do well against much younger opponents. 

CRC2013 SoccerTron Report (31st August)

PMC fielded 2 teams for the annual one-day affair known as SoccerTron, a veterans team (OLD) and a youthful team (PMC). Comprising of a 7-a-side tournament and the CRC2013 finals, it promised to be a day full of soccer activities and spectacle. The day actually kicked off with the draw for the upcoming SCS Cup knock-out tournament and Team OLD drew to play CMC and Team PMC drew to play Salvation Army in the first round of the cup.

Samuel draws TSA in Round 1 of the SCS Cup 2013

Being in 2 different groups, OLD and PMC battled away valiantly in their 3 group games hoping to amass as many points as possible to qualify for the knock-stages in a respectable position. OLD finished the group stage with 2 losses and a draw. The most dramatic match was the final group game against BFEC where OLD practically camped in BFEC's half in search of the win. Unfortunately the closest OLD came to a goal was when Kevin hit the post with only the GK to beat. With that record, OLD finished bottom of its group to compete in the Vase knock-out stage. Team PMC did slightly better than their older counterparts, finishing the group stage with 1 win, 1 loss and a draw to finish 3rd in their group, qualifying for the Shield knock-out stage. 

The Veterans of Team OLD

The 'kids' of Team PMC

Before the knock-out stages started, all players gathered under the tentage for a time of Singspiration and Sharing to acknowledge God's presence during the tournament. Dr Tan from BFEC shared an interesting message of God's love and plan for our lives, through stories of his experience and travels. 

The knock-out stages kicked off with OLD taking the field first in their playoff towards the Vase finals. However, having not played for a couple of hours, the OLD players couldn't warm up fast enough and went down 2-0 to COA quite quickly. Credit to the team, they tried to fight back valiantly and pulled one goal back, but it wasn't enough as the final whistle blew. PMC was up next in their playoff against CMC and the 'kids' played very well, taking the match to their opponents and threatened on numerous occasions. The breakthrough finally came when a run down the wing by Rusydi was followed by a cross and a good finish by David Lim. The 1-0 victory put PMC into the Shield final against BENS. 

Parris, Felix and Mike prepare to defend a COA corner

Eddie on the ball

The final matches of both teams saw OLD take on TSA in the Vase 3rd/4th playoff and PMC taking on BENS in the Shield final. OLD picked themselves up well after the earlier defeat by COA. Putting in all their effort into the final match, they played well against TSA and had a number of chances that couldn't be converted. The match ended 0-0, leading the teams into a sudden death penalty shootout, which OLD won when Michael saved and Jin Yi scored in the first round of kicks. PMC was up next, taking on BENS to be Shield champions. Both teams were evenly matched with action swinging from end to end of the field. There was no breakthrough in terms of goals and PMC also faced a penalty shootout to end the day. However, in the first round of kicks, BENS scored and David Lim missed PMC's first kick to see BENS crowned as Shield champions. 

Jeremy defends tightly against CMC's Adrian

Rusydi on the ball

David starting his all out sprint

The finals of the CRC2013 league saw RLC defeat WMC 1-0 to be crowned overall champions. The prize giving session followed to end the few months worth of soccer competition. 

 Jeremy receiving PMC's participation token in the CRC2013 league

OLD and PMC's trophies from the SoccerTron

Soccer Fellowship Report (24th August)

Unlike the gloomy weather of last week, it was a scorching afternoon at Hai Sing Catholic School. At about 3.30pm, we had about 12 players and Jacob started the devotion on the topic of being a good worker. Apostle Paul defines a good worker as "one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the Word of truth" in 2 Timothy 2:15.

It was the Whites VS Other colours on half a soccer field with small goalposts. The game in the first half was much more open as players from both sides looked to exploit spaces in the wide areas. Counter-attacks were seen on numerous occasions but both sides lack the lethal finish up front. First half ended with 2-2.

After the break, the Whites chose an ultra-defensive approach by stationing almost all of their players around their own box. The Other colours had to keep exchanging short passes in front of the opponents' box in an attempt to break the defensive shell. However, on most occasions, the shots by the Other colours were either blocked by the over-crowded wall or saved by the goalie. The approach adopted by the Whites was indeed effective and eventually, the second half ended with 3-3.

Those players involved in the upcoming SoccerTron stayed on the pitch awhile more to practise their shootings and then Jacob closed us in prayer.

 Jacob sharing devotions

 3 types of stretches for warm-up

Soccer Fellowship (24th August)

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 24th August at Hai Sing Catholic School* (yes, the one in Pasir Ris). We are at this new venue as our regular fields are all unavailable. The location is still rather convenient with many buses plying between Pasir Ris MRT Station and the school. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.

Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of Hai Sing Catholic School is 9 Pasir Ris Drive 6. The entrance to the field however, is along Pasir Ris Drive 3, just across the road from E-Hub. There is a bus-stop just next to the field entrance. The nearest car park is the open air car park along blocks 406/407 Pasir Ris Drive 6.

You can view the map of the area HERE. 

Soccer Fellowship Report (17th August)

Dark skies, rain, lightning and thunder threatened to end this Soccer Fellowship session before it even started. About 12 players had gathered by about 315pm only to be told by the field warden that we couldn't play until 345pm, and only if the skies had cleared. We sat under shelter and waited patiently, even as more players arrived, most of them friends of Yi Jun and Weijie. At 340pm, Kevin started devotions, which focused on resting in God when we are tired. When Kevin ended the devotions in prayer, asking for good weather, the rain miraculously stopped, allowing the players to head to the field for an enjoyable time of Soccer Fellowship.

Playing under dark skies and on soft ground 

Weijie got his wish for some soccer action 

Waiting patiently for the skies to clear

The players were split into 2 teams of 8 each, using half the field and small posts. The players in blue took on the players in other colours and the tempo of the game was high throughout the 70min of play. Although the blues enjoyed most of the possession early on, it was the other team that capitalised on defensive mistakes and good counter-attacks to go 3-0 up. It took a while for the blues to get on the scoresheet, but they trailed for the whole match, coming closest perhaps at 7-4. By the time the session ended, about 18 players were on the field and it was a good workout for everyone. More importantly, God was good in allowing Soccer Fellowship to carry on despite gloomy skies.

Soccer Fellowship (17th August)

Soccer Fellowship is on this Saturday, 17th August at Hai Sing Catholic School* (yes, the one in Pasir Ris). We are at this new venue as our regular fields are all unavailable. The location is still rather convenient with many buses plying between Pasir Ris MRT Station and the school. The session will be from 3 - 5 pm.

Please bring BOTH a BRIGHT and DARK jersey so that we can split the teams evenly.

Please pray for good weather! If you suspect the session is cancelled, please check the blog/email for more information before you head for the field. Cancellation of session will be broadcast on the blog and by email immediately when we are informed by Sports Council.

*The address of Hai Sing Catholic School is 9 Pasir Ris Drive 6. The entrance to the field however, is along Pasir Ris Drive 3, just across the road from E-Hub. There is a bus-stop just next to the field entrance. The nearest car park is the open air car park along blocks 406/407 Pasir Ris Drive 6.

You can view the map of the area HERE.