Goalkeeper T.S. Deyveekan the hero as Victoria JC stun RI to win A Division boys’ hockey title
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Goalkeeper T S Deyveekan (centre) celebrates along with the Victoria Junior College team after winning the penalty shootout in the A Division boys' hockey final.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
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SINGAPORE – Goalkeeper T.S. Deyveekan’s determination to postpone surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in December paid off on May 15, when he helped the Victoria Junior College (VJC) hockey team claim the National School Games’ A Division boys’ title.
The 18-year-old pulled off three saves in the penalty shoot-out as VJC beat Raffles Institution 3-2 after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium.
Not only was it VJC’s first A boys’ title since 2016, the victory also avenged their 4-0 loss in the 2023 final to the same opponents, whose five-year stranglehold on the crown has ended.
The victory was especially sweet for Deyveekan, who joined the hockey team only in July 2023 and was initially their reserve custodian before the first-choice goalkeeper was injured in mid-season.
Deyveekan said: “I was actually very scared because I started hockey only last July. The RI goalkeeper has more experience than me.
“My ACL tear was the biggest motivation during the shoot-out. I had begged my doctor to allow me to continue playing. So I didn’t come here just to lose.”
He saved efforts from Nathan Ball, Govindaraj Ramanathan and Nathaniel Tan.
Victoria Junior College goalkeeper T S Deyveekan saving Govindaraj Ramanathan's penalty.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Deyveekan revealed that he still feels pain from his ACL injury, despite regular visits to a physiotherapist. “Even for one of the penalties, I could feel my knee buckle, so that’s the risk at play,” he added.
He also shared how he could not sleep the night before and spent four hours watching videos of penalty shoot-outs online.
He said: “I haven’t trained for penalties in a month... I knew I had to do my best and I’m happy about that.”
Vice-captain Siddarth Sundarajan, who scored the winning penalty, said: “I’m not someone who can handle pressure well, but I thought of everyone who supported me... when I scored, it was a relief.”
He said the team were fired up by last season’s final loss.
Said Siddarth: “Last year was really a wake-up call that we needed to try harder and do our best this year. This time, we had the fighting spirit and were mentally ready, so we did it.
“It feels amazing. I never thought this day would come.”
VJC’s feat was made even more creditable as their coach Nordin Manaff was away in Thailand with the national women’s indoor hockey team.
Victoria Junior College won the final despite being without coach Nordin Manaff.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Assistant coach Mohd Iskandar, who has been with the team for close to five years, said: “From the first minute, I told them we want to create history this year.
“What’s different about this team is they have the togetherness, they help and give feedback to one another all season.”
Iskandar also reserved special praise for Deyveekan, saying: “I loved his performance. That penalty box over there... it’s all about him.
“I told Deyveekan, try to improve yourself bit by bit (when he was given the starting place, despite his inexperience).
Victoria Junior College A Division hockey captain K. Ashvin lifting the trophy as the team celebrated with their fans after ending Raffles Institution’s five-year winning streak.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Iskandar was pleased the goalkeeper learnt and gained the trust of the coaches.
RI captain Thievyan Koban said: “When we went 1-0 down, we kept to our structure... we showed we wanted it.
“When things don’t go the way we want, it’s out of our control. I’m still proud of the team.”
