C Div boys’ football title the best send-off for SJI’s UTR! scholarship recipients

SINGAPORE – St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) wingers Gavriel Lai and Aidan Irfan received the perfect farewell gift on Aug 14, ahead of their stints abroad as national project Unleash The Roar! (UTR) scholarship recipients.

At the National Stadium, their team eased past Meridian Secondary School 3-0 to clinch their first C Division boys’ football title since the school restarted the sport in 2012.

The win comes just four days before the duo are due to depart for Spain’s Rayo Alcobendas, having been named among the

nine recipients of the second batch of UTR scholarships.

Gavriel, who contributed a goal and an assist, called the win “one of the best goodbyes”, while Aidan, whose cross led to a goal, added: “It’s really nice to win before flying off, and I’m really grateful to my friends and school.”

The pair have been influential this season, with Gavriel notching eight goals and Aidan adding another seven. Besides them, Zhou Luye and Keanu Song have both scored nine times.

While Gavriel took some knocks in the late stages of the final, his effort in the last minute was enough to seal the victory for SJI, who had taken the lead 18 minutes in, when Jamus Low rifled the ball home after Aidan’s cross was half-cleared.

They doubled their advantage three minutes into the second half, with Gavriel beating his man and setting up Luye for the finish. 

SJI goalkeeper Colin Chew made a superb one-on-one save to keep their clean sheet intact in the 49th minute, before Gavriel then smashed a rebound off the bar past Meridian’s Evan Lee 11 minutes later.

Said Gavriel: “While I could’ve been more clinical, scoring and assisting once was pretty good.

“I expected all my teammates to work our butts off, and I knew if I kept on pushing, I would get a goal eventually. I wanted to (support) them too.

“Near the end of the game... I was hurting but I pushed through to the end, and of course, it was worth it.”

SJI captain Scott Reid credited their success to their goalscoring outlets and defensive solidity. 

The team conceded a solitary goal in nine games – in the 2-1 preliminary-round win over St Gabriel’s Secondary on July 11 – and Scott said their determination to shut out opponents after that was evident. 

“That goal motivated us to become better, and to keep our defence tighter and stronger,” he explained. 

Teacher-in-charge Loqman Alfaiz added: “This is a bunch of talented individuals, but not just that, they’re united and very dedicated. From the beginning of the year, they were committed to perform.”

While Meridian settled for silver, captain Wayne Cheong said it was a “great opportunity for growth”.

He added: “Although the results weren’t what we hoped for, I believe that with more discipline and focus, we can achieve even greater success in the future.”

They still had reasons to celebrate though, as the school retained their girls’ title with a 3-1 win against a combined team comprising players from Boon Lay Secondary, Methodist Girls’ School and Westwood Secondary. It is their third straight championship.

Winger Nayli Elvira, midfielder Nur Risya Rizqyqa and striker Amber Lee netted for Meridian, while Aria Romano converted a late consolation goal.

Said skipper Nayli: “We killed the game in the first half.

“In our games, we always give 200 per cent, and we kept our cool throughout.”

Coach Fabio da Silva highlighted the fact that all his teams made the final in 2024 – they also claimed the boys and girls’ titles in the B Division – and added: “The girls more than deserved it today, they were very confident.”

The combined teams’ co-captains Esther Lau, Zarra Nazneen and Surah Raudah were proud of their second place, having lost 6-0 to the same opponents in the preliminary round.

Esther added: “We really worked hard today, and everyone did their best.”