Pre-match rendang fuels Mika Rendyno’s 4-goal haul as Victoria retain C Div boys’ floorball title
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SINGAPORE – Since scoring a hat-trick after eating rendang, Victoria School floorballer Mika Rendyno has made the Indonesian spicy meat dish from his school canteen his customary pre-match meal.
That treble in their 13-0 National School Games win over Kent Ridge Secondary School on Aug 6 merely whetted his appetite for more on the court.
Ahead of the C Division boys’ final on Aug 28, he repeated his pre-match tradition, except that he added an egg, as he scored four goals in a 10-4 victory over St Joseph’s Institution at Our Tampines Hub.
The 14-year-old, who loves spicy meals, quipped: “It’s my favourite food, and this time, I added a little twist with an egg, together with the rendang, and I scored four.”
Teammate Jethro Ong also netted four times, with Ammar Lutfi Shabarie and Asy-Syahir Kadir chipping in as VS clinched a third consecutive C boys’ title.
Coach Jatin Nair was impressed with Mika’s four-goal contribution.
He had switched Mika’s position from centre to defender this season as he wanted the boy to play in a deeper position “to facilitate a more progressive game”.
Jatin added: “Wherever you put him, he’s still doing a great job for the team.”
Victoria School’s players celebrate after retaining the C Division boys’ floorball title.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
While Mika initially felt uneasy with the switch, he eventually grew into the role.
“Initially, I felt a bit startled because centre was the best and most comfortable position I could play in,” he said. “At first, I didn’t feel that confident, but as we started to train more, I felt that coach Jatin’s advice did really work and not only benefited me, but also the team.”
Jatin also praised forward Jethro, saying: “When I first met him last year, he was quite low on confidence. But after we had a good chat, he just went from strength to strength, so I’m really proud of him.”
Jethro revealed that he always aims to emulate his idol, Liverpool footballer and striker Darwin Nunez.
The 14-year-old said: “The thing I look up to is the chaos he creates, and the way he wins the ball and puts all his effort into it.”
Jethro Ong (centre), who also scored four goals, has massively improved since he joined the team in 2023.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Despite the loss, SJI captain Karthigaiselvan Sakthiram, who scored a brace, credited his teammates for “putting up a good fight”. The team were formed only in 2023.
He added: “At the start, we were a bit off and just slowly getting into the momentum, but now we’re an experienced team capable of challenging everyone.”
Meanwhile, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (TKGS) claimed their maiden C Division floorball title after prevailing 1-0 on penalties over CHIJ Katong Convent. The match had ended 2-2.
Goalkeeper Raeesha Beck, 14, was the heroine, making two saves in the shoot-out after denying CHIJ on multiple occasions in regular time.
She said: “At first, I was quite disappointed in myself and the two goals I conceded really shook me, but I managed to calm myself down.
“The one thing I didn’t want was penalties, which is honestly my greatest fear. I was really shocked by my performance in the penalties, it’s never been my forte but I had a lot of support and I’m grateful.”
Raeesha Beck saving a shot in Tanjong Katong Girls’ School’s penalty shoot-out win in the C Division floorball final.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Coach Rashid Jalaluddin called Raeesha “one of the better players today”, but also praised his team’s overall display.
The 32-year-old said: “It’s an amazing feeling. We were the underdogs but the girls listened to instructions well, and we really deserve this.”
Captain Aleeya Huda added that their mentality was key to the victory, saying: “We may be scared when we step onto the court, but we put our thoughts behind (us) and just play our game because we’ve come so far.”
Looking back at the two draws and a defeat they suffered during the season, the 14-year-old said: “We managed to come back, and now we’ve made history.”
With the score in the shoot-out tied at 0-0 after five attempts, Aleeya stepped up and converted the sixth penalty to spark wild celebrations.
She said: “There was so much pressure because the result depended on this. But my goalkeeper worked really hard too and I feel very honoured to deliver this for the team.”
CHIJ captain Alyssa Chan rued the loss, saying: “We could have done better, we were just too nervous and didn’t play to our level.”
