SINGAPORE - Victoria Junior College (VJC) extended their dominance of the Schools National A Division girls' hockey competition as they retained the title for the 15th year running, beating Millenia Institute (MI) 1-0 after extra time on Thursday (May 11).
The final, held at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium, was a momentous occasion for MI who were starring in their first final since their rebranding from Jurong Institute in 2002.
Despite being underdogs on paper, MI stood firm against a relentless VJC attack and held on long enough to force the game into extra time with the scores goalless at the end of 60 minutes.
But MI's fairy-tale journey in the tournament came to an end when Klara Chong scored in the dying minutes of extra time to earn VJC the title.
Frantic scenes ensued as the entire VJC team piled on top of her in celebration. The goal-scorer refused to take all the credit and emphasised that the victory was a joint team effort.
The 17-year-old said: "I felt very happy, very relieved and thankful that I took the shot but its not just me...Everybody played their part (in the goal)".
For the MI players, it was a bittersweet moment as they embraced each other with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.
MI goalkeeper Krithaisha Vijayakumar, 20, said: "We never ever expected to go to the semis or final and we're so glad we came here finally...I'm really proud of the team."