SINGAPORE - Raffles Institution (RI) won its 10th consecutive A division girls' waterpolo title with a 20-2 rout of Saint Andrew's Junior College (SAJC).
RI started strong, scoring eight goals in the first quarter while just one SAJC strike bulged the net. Even though SAJC attempted to mount a fightback from the second quarter onwards, it was not enough to overcome the deficit.
"We were all really excited coming into this match because we trained really hard for this," said RI captain Abielle Yeo.
"We were also worried because our team has been hit by sickness and injury, so we didn't know if some our team-mates would even be able to play. But we tried to encourage each other and psyche ourselves up for the final."
In addition to a pre-season outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease which affected half the team, goalkeeper Samantha Ang tore a ligament in her hand and Ng Yu Qin suffered a broken leg which caused her to miss all the games in the tournament except the final.
"Our school really provides us with a lot of support, so this is our way of giving back to them," said Abielle.
SAJC captain Naomi Wong admitted that while the outcome was disappointing, it was still an achievement for the team to make it all the way to the final.
"This time last year, we only had two JC1 students in our team. So it's amazing that we were eventually able to form a team that can lead us all the way to the finals," she said.
In the Boys' A Division finals, RI edged out Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) 10-8 on penalties, after the score was tied 6-6 at full time.
"We did practice penalty shootouts through training because our coach wanted to prepare us for every possible outcome. It paid off as when the time came, we were mentally ready," said RI captain Jared Lim.
