KUCHING: The Sarawak women’s hockey team did not find redemption in their third match today, losing 1-4 against Kedah in the preliminary round.
Kedah scored their first goal in the 8th minute of the game through Nur Afiqah Syahzani Azhar while Sarawak scored their first and only goal at the 25th minute through backup player Shahrulrina who entered during the first half that started at 3pm.
Kedah’s second goal was made at 30th minute through Nuramirah Shakirah, followed by their third and fourth goal at the 40th and 47th minute, respectively. The third and fourth goals were also made by Nur Afiqah.
Nevertheless, fans continued to show their support with loud cheers, some of them jumping up in their seats and scolding the referee out of excitement.
Although Sarawak has two more matches left to play, they have no chance for the semi-finals. This is the third consecutive loss after losing its two previous matches 1-2 against Terengganu on July 20 and 2-5 against Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) on July 21.
Team head coach Sivasubramaniam Chellapah was especially disappointed with the third match, confirming after the match that the team had no chance of going to the semi-finals now.
“The Sarawak women’s hockey team played very badly and it was below par. I am not very happy with them but I have to admit that this is not their game.
Siva pointed out that during the third match, the team performed their worst during its second half.
“We had the opportunity for a penalty shootout, as well as an open goal, but all missed. I still have to take responsibility towards the state’s hockey team as their head coach.
He emphasised that experience was key to success and no excuses are needed to explain their current situation.
As for the two remaining competitions against Pahang and Sabah on July 24 and July 26 respectively, Siva said that the team must play to save their pride.
“We still need to play for the remaining two matches. Although both rivals are very good and there will be no chance for us to be in the semi-finals, we have to give our all to save our pride,” he added.
For the state’s women hockey team player Vagressia Apang, 20, it was definitely a disappointing moment for her and the team this year as they were expecting to win at least one match among the previous three matches.
Nevertheless, she admitted that insufficient training was the cause of their loss.
“It is important to have enough training to enhance the team members’ exposure and experience. I admit that this year was the hardest to even score a goal,” said Vagressia who has been involved with Sukma since 2012, adding that the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) was the strongest rival this year.
As for team captain Jossie Kay Frankie, who has been involved with Sukma since 2012, it is hoped that the disappointing moment will encourage them to continue to do their best in order to uplift the hockey’s prestige in Sarawak.
“Although we lost in three matches, it does not mean that we will stop here. We will continue to strive in giving our best in other upcoming matches in the future.
“I would also like to encourage more project schools for hockey in the state. This can help us in bringing the sports to a higher level with more trainings and programmes to enhance our skills and knowledge in the sport,” she added.
Other teams competing in the preliminary round for women’s hockey on July 22 include Melaka, Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL), Pahang, Sabah and Terengganu.
The men’s hockey teams competed in the preliminary round on July 22 include Sabah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Pahang, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL), Johor, Sarawak, Melaka and Pulau Pinang.
Sarawak’s men hockey team also did fairly poorly in the preliminary round held at SMK Paku, Bau on July 22 with 1-2 against Johor.
Twelve teams are competing in this year’s Sukma women’s hockey. WPKL, Sabah, Kedah, Pahang, Terengganu and Sarawak are in Group A, while Johor, Pulau Pinang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak are in Group B.
Meanwhile, as for the men’s hockey, thirteen teams that are competing for Group A include Pulau Pinang, Perlis, Perak, Sarawak, Melaka and Johor, while Group B consists of Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL), Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor and Sabah.
The preliminary round for women’s hockey will continue on July 23 with Selangor vs Negeri Sembilan at 7am, Pulau Pinang vs Melaka at 8.30am, and Perak vs Johor at 3pm.
As for the men’s hockey, the preliminary round will continue with Terengganu vs Sabah at 7am, Pahang vs Negeri Sembilan at 8.30am, and WPKL vs Kelantan at 10am.
All matches for the women’s hockey teams will take place at Hockey Stadium, Petra Jaya, while the men’s hockey teams will compete at SMK Paku in Bau.