Last 2 days!

No, not that the blog is going to be on our last 2 days. Rather, it's 2 more days before we welcome 2012! So what are your countdown plans? What are your New Year resolutions? For us, one of our new year resolutions is to get 3rd or even better for next year's POL-ITE Women's Soccer!

We hope you did have a great Merry Christmas and the blog wishes you an advanced Happy New Year!

Quote

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. We cruised from the first match of thrashing SP 9-0 to a slight mistake being punished by a single bitter goal in our net against NP to a grueling nail biting 0-1 lost by penalty to ITE.

During the last crucial match, the final whistle was blown few seconds after we placed the ball for the fourth time in NYP's net. Ultimately, we created history this very year by clinching 3rd place in the POL-ITE Games. This could not be a better finish for the team in
POL-ITE Games 2011."

Indeed, it has been a great year for the team, as our midfielder, Natasha has put it.

Finally, the team has something to tell and show everyone...

Medal at last!

That's right, the team has finally brought on "home" a medal by concluding the tournament in 3rd place, defeating NYP 4-0 in their last and final POL-ITE match. The 4 goals were courtesy of a hat trick by Fifi and a goal by Shank! What a great way to end the tournament.

For now, let's head onto the photos:

A formal team photo with the Advisor, Fazilah and also their proud medals around their neck!

Time for some fun!

Congratulations to the Year 1s on their first medal clinched!

The scores from the matches are as follow:
RP 9 : SP 0
RP 0 : NP 1
RP 0 : ITE 1
RP 4 : NYP 0

After all the hardwork, the team will take a 2 weeks break and yes, that also means that the blog will also be on a 2 week hiatus! When we come back, we will have a special interview put up just for you! Stay tuned to find out who are we going to interview!

9-0 Victory: The report

This week, we have our midfielder, Natasha, who shares with us on the 9-0 romping victory:

On 8 Oct 2011, RPWST made our way to ITE Simei for the first POL-ITE match against SP. In the first few minutes, all our players were busy settling into the uneven field, taking note of SP's strengths and weaknesses as well.

We dominated the first half, pushing the play to our attacking half for most of the 45 minutes. By half time, the score was 4-0 with Fifi grabbing 3 goals and a well placed shot by Jannah.

Determined to end the game on a high note, RPWST pushed on despite the 4 goal lead. Attacks after attacks, we never let any ball slip out of our possession and by the final whistle, we managed another 5 goals, courtesy of Fifi who scored another hat trick, Shank and Natasha.

Spirits were flying high as the final whistle blew, signalling the end of 90 minutes and the score victory belonged to RPWST.

This evening, the team would be playing a crucial match against power house ITE, KO 8pm @ ITE Simei. Will victory repeat itself? Come on down to catch the exciting match and show your support for the team!

Sawatdee Kaa!

So here is the long awaited post of the trip in Thailand! Yes, the team embarked on a pre-POLITE training tour in Bangkok, Thailand about 1.5months back and needless to say, it was a fruitful trip for them. By the way, Sawatdee Kaa means hello in Thai.

Apologies that we do not have videos and only the great photos!

(Photos are courtesy of our players, Shank and Zahidah)

All ready and happy to go! But before boarding the plane...team photo!
(No, that little boy didn't go)

Team Captain Salasiah with the rest in the plane.

Team talk and instructions before the first friendly.



Shaking hands with our opponents before KO!



Ann and Shank, checking things out. Cheap! Cheap! Must Buy! Buy!



Team photo at the beach.


Paintball session with the team.
Listening to the rules and regulations first! EGG-CITED!

Dinner by the Beach.

Time to taste authentic Thai food!



The “triplets” keeper at our first hotel, or should I say hostel?



After all the hard work in Thailand, the team touches down
in their new bold black/green jackets!

Definitely a good trip in all and the team had good fun and laughter during the 5 days they were there. With POL-ITE around the corner, this overseas trip is definitely an important and worthwhile exposure to keep all prepared.

Do check out the POL-ITE Fixtures and come down to support the team in the colors of green starting next week!

POL-ITE Fixtures 2011

Annnnnnnd....................the fixtures you have been waiting for are out! This year's POL-ITE Women's Soccer is held at ITE Simei. Below are the timings and dates of the matches so make a mark in your calendar and come down to watch the team in action as they Fight for Glory against 4 other teams namely NYP, NP, SP and reigning champions, ITE!

Date / Time / Match

4 Nov 6pm RP v NYP

8 Nov 8pm RP v NP

11 Nov 8pm RP v SP

15 Nov 8pm RP v ITE

What are you waiting for? The P&V from the Thailand trip? Ah, fret not, we will definitely have those up for you. For now, mark those dates down and come down to ITE Simei to catch some fantastic women soccer in action!

Pre-trip Preparation

In just another 24 hours +, the team would be leaving for Bangkok, Thailand for their POL-ITE Preparation. They would be having 3 friendlies while there and hence it is important for them to get familiarize with their playing position and formation! They're definitely busy packing all their gears in and of course, when all else fails to fit into your luggage, you gota just sit on it and flatten everything in there!

In the past couple of weeks, if you have been following us on Twitter, you would have read that the team has been playing friendlies with various teams on homeground. That said, the team has been training hard week in and out for the friendlies and also for their Bangkok friendlies.

Below are the scores from the various friendlies:

19 Aug | RPWST 0 - 0 SIM (D)
24 Aug | RPWST 2 - 1 NUS (W)
3 Sep | RPWST 1 - 4 Arion FC (L)
7 Sep | RPWST 1 - 2 Bowen Sec School (L), RPWST 0 - 2 Sg American School (L)

In summary, it's a WDLLL from 5 friendlies. Definitely tired and busy but these friendlies will all be worth it in preparation against their Thai opponents.

We do hope to bring you some photos and videos (P&V) from the trip but we cannot promise you that. The blog will try if possible else, we will bring you the trip's P&V after the team returns on Sunday!

As usual, keep following us on our twitter @rpwst for updates along the way!

Its a wrap from the Youth League!

Apologies on the delay on the Youth League! In this entry, we have our defender, Eve Kaur who writes in about the match.

It was the last match of the Youth League, RP v VJC Alumni, KO at 745pm and the ladies jumped into action. The first half was full of opportunities for both sides as VJC kept the defenders and goalkeeper busy for that evening.

In the second half, RPWST was down 0-2 but this made the ladies even more determined to equalize and win the match. Ernie tore down the pitch and chipped in a goal over VJC's goalkeeper, bringing the score to 1-2. Soon after, Shank scored another great goal inside the box to even the score at 2-2 and the entire bench erupted with joy!

Nothing looked impossible at this point of time and the fire within the ladies kept strong pressute on VJC's half. The burning spirit of the ladies on and off the pitch kept going but the score remained at 2-2 at the final whistle.

Jannah shields the ball away from a VJC player.

Ernie rushes down on the left with the ball and scores the first goal!

Celebration followed by the Ernie's great goal.

Natasha busy tricking the VJC players with her skills.

Shank en route to scoring the equalizing goal..

(Taller) Jannah trying to block the VJC players from preventing her from taking a shot.

So yes, it's a wrap and the team finished the League in 5th placing with 8 points. Up next, the team would be embarking on a training trip to Bangkok as they prepare for the upcoming POL-ITE this Oct.

Till then, follow us on twitter @ www.rpwst.com/rpwst for more updates on the move!

2nd defeat

Updates from last Friday's game against NTU....

The team lost out 0-2 to NTU after a 90 minute battle. Next game, the team faces VJC Alumni on home ground, KO 745pm.

See you there!

Youth League Updates

It's been awhile!

So far in the Youth League, it's 7 pts after 4 games of which consist of 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. Not too bad as the League progresses and as the team remains 2nd in the table, just 3 points behind NTU on goal difference!

Next, the team will be playing on home ground against NTU this coming Friday, KO 730pm. See you there!

Remember that?

Remember Aisyah's goal that we mentioned a month back?

Now here we have it for you! Watch the white circle, that is Aisyah.

In the background, you will hear some men's voices. Those are the voices of some of the men who were there watching the training while they wait for their turn to head to the field for try-outs back then for the men's team...Needless to say, they were ..... quite impressed with the goal!

Republic Run

9 days ago, some from the team took some time out, woke up really early and came down for the annual Republic Run on a Sunday! Needless to say, it was a great 5km run for all and they all enjoyed the great wind and nice morning hours.

The team come together for a photo in their bright colored top and their bright smiles.
(Photo courtesy of Aliya of RP's Photo Team)

First win

The blog is definitely behind on the matches that is going on for the Youth League!

For the first victory over NYP, we have defender Fiza, a second year student, who shares her thoughts:

RPWST kicked off the match with a goal in mind to make a difference. When they faced NYP last year, they lost from a hard convincing fight with the final score of 3-0 but thi time round, they made a huge difference. RPWST was instead the one in the spotlight celebrating 2 goals in the match. The final score stood at 2-0.

First half of the match ended 0-0. Both teams fought hard but the ball possession was more in the hands of RPWST players. Centre defender, Ernie, tried shooting for goal outside the penalty box in the 30th minute. It was a great try but NYP's defence proved to be solid.

Referee blows the whistle indicating the start of the second half and while huddling, RPWST players were determined to make the best out of every opportunity they get as the game proceed.

It was definitely an energy boost and motivation for the team when Sarah scored the first goal through a shot outside the left of the penalty box. Scoring for the first time, Sarah See, as a senior and a left mid player looked stunned while she was circled by the others who were extremely thrilled.

That particular goal invited another when Afidah, top scorer for POL-ITE Games 2010, scored the second goal in the penalty box. Coach Siva tried his best to maintain the composure of the players in the field and told the team to remain calm and not to be too complacent as it might result in some carelessness which would be taken advantage of by NYP.

Final whistle and smiles were crafted on all of RPWST players. First victory for the first match and this would act as the key motivation to do well in the upcoming few matches.

Look out for the next match report!

3rd place!

Definitely we are late but nonetheless, achieving a medal is a must share news! At this year's Diva La, RPWST sent 2 teams, Green and White. In this post, we have Kate, who writes in about the event...

Once again it is game time for two teams to get pumped up and ready for the Diva La event. Only one game into the event and the White team was already on a good note, winning their first game.

Although fighting hard and only losing one game, the white team was knocked out after the first round. However, as Aisyah from the white team stated, "The new players got exposure to what soccer can be like" and that is what is all about.

As for the Green team, not only did they win all their games in the first round, they went on to achieve a medal and made the school proud, bagging 3rd place in the Champions Cup! Both teams led a great fight and came out winners in their own ways.

Congratulations to the Green team!

Photo courtesy of Pan Guan Shen
Top row (L-R): Jannah, Fifi, Zahidah
Bottom row (L-R): Salasiah (with trophy), Sheu and Ernie.

This is it!

Of course we are not speaking of the end of the team.

Nonetheless, here we have a photo of the complete (almost) team! It's been a looong time since we posted a team photo. We sure do hope the sea of red is not scaring you. We apologise for a small photo as it was taken off a phone camera. Credits to Captain Salasiah for the photo!

Narrow defeat

Some 2 weeks back, the team had a friendly with Millenia Institute and came up short, losing 2-3. The new fresh(wo)men had their fair share of their first ever friendly with their team mates. Here are some photos from the match:

Aisyah using all her might to fend off a player
(look at that expression!).

Sarah takes the ball with her on play on.

Has chases down an MI player.

The substitutes watch from the sides as the match played on.

Perspective: Philosophy

"A good training environment", says coach Arasu on what his philosophy is.

Of course, that is definitely important for the players when it comes to training or game time on the same field. Imagine if a team comes for training every week on a muddy soaked field, with holes in many areas. Would they be motivated to come for the next few training sessions? Chances are highly unlikely. Everyone loves a good training ground or at least, a well maintained training ground. No one likes returning home to a messed up bed everyday.

This past week, the team touched on 5 v 2 passing, quick feet and passing and not forgetting the other component - Agility. Week in week out, the team had been working hard on their passing and trying to familiarize with each other's playing style.

All is all a good week and remember, check back for more interesting news!

Glitz 2011

Once again, the annual Sports Excellence Awards was recently over. That night, many sports athletes received their respective awards for their achievement, passion and contribution in their sport in one way or another. Needless to say, the team had a number of players who also received their respective awards.

Also, if you followed us on our twitter, we mentioned that v-Captain Sheu was one of the emcees for the night!

Let's get to the photos first!

The girls come together for a photo...

In the theatre where the Awards was held.

Sheu (far right), emcee-ed the night together with Shermine and Gopal.

Captain Salasiah receiving her Certificate of Merit Award.

Some great Capoeira performance.

Congratulations to all award winners! Below are the list of winners from this year:

Certificate of Merit
Jannah
Rui Wei
Samantha
Salasiah
Sheu

Meritorious Silver
Fifi
Norlyn
Nina

RP Athlete Development Grant
Jannah
Sarah

A special Congratulations to Jannah for receiving a double award from the night! As for the freshmen, it was their first year experience of the Sports Excellence Awards and definitely more to come for them next year!

Not to forget the graduates like Norlyn, Rui Wei and Nina who have also graduated earlier this past April. A huge thank you for their contribution to the team in their 3 years course of study and we wish them well in their future endeavours! We hope to see them come back once in awhile and we definitely hope this is not the last goodbye!

Yet another great night of Sports Excellence Awards and we hope to have more awardees for next year!

Pass and shoot!

This evening the team had a (near) 3 hours of training filled with game play and passing. The team has been practising their game play in the past few trainings, focusing on their passing. Passing, passing and more passing. In between, the team also did some jogging and running and rounded up the session with everyone's favorite, shooting.

Pretty humid weather and we must say kudos to them in enduring the bad weather at training!

We still owe you a video on Aisyah's goal and what's more, v-captain, Sheu was one of the emcees at the annual Sports Excellence Awards (also known as Glitz) on Thursday night! Waaay to go and we will have some photos from the event!

Catch this space!

Back on the field!

Yes, we are indeed back on the field!

This evening, the team played a 2 sided game of 20 minutes per half. Each side was a good mixture of the freshmen and the seniors. Pretty good game and Aisyah got a goal!

We'll have a video for you soon but in the mean time, enjoy some photos!

Shank gets the ball.

Wana explains to her team mates how to play a beautiful game...

More tight challenges as the rest watched...

Catch this space for Aisyah's goal!

On the Hard Courts

How was everyone's weekend? Hope it was good and filled with lots of fun and excitement.

In the past week, the team had been training at the futsal courts along with the new freshmen. Certainly a change in venue but this would only be for this past week. We had a dry Wednesday but unfortunately had to deal with a slightly soaked court on Friday. Well, soccer players hang tough, so those are nothing! Check out the photos below from this week's training.

When there's 3, you do the cha cha!

Trying to get a shot on goal...

Zahidah with the ball...

Jannah, who was from the recreational team, with the ball...

Sheu explaining some formation with her hands with her new team mates...

This week we would be back to the field so see you there!

Try-outs

This evening was the 2nd session of the try-outs and we had 14 who turned up! A good number apart from the 10 who came last Friday. The girls mixed around with all their seniors and today's try out was packed with plenty of work, starting right up with the basics, agility, technical skills and last but not least, finishing the session with a small sided game.

Apologies that we do not have a video from the try outs but we have photos!

The team in action with some dribbling and passing.

Some of the seniors come together for a photo.
(Looks like Fiza wasn't that ready on 3!)

Kate ensuring Fiza doesn't get the ball in the small sided game.

Zahidah fighting for the ball with a year 1 try-out-ist (if there's such a word) in the other small sided game.

Definitely something that everyone is waiting for! Sorry but we will not reveal the "chosen" ones!

All in all, a great session and we have a great mixture of players who came down for the try-outs. Good talent was also spotted! Not forgetting the good weather that held up to pave way for the try out session! In fact, the rain came when the try-out ended! Phew!

A big thank you to the 14 try-out-ist who came down for the session today and we will soon let in on who are the selected ones!

Preparing for SLA Fiesta: Part 2

That's right, if you've been following us on twitter, we have a part 2 for you!

By now, you should've seen and visited our booth during the SLA Fiesta this past week. But what you've not seen is the "behind the scenes" of preparing up a good booth (after those hard work on the friendship bands) just for all the freshmen and women! Check out the video below for all the hard work and preparation...

PS: We made up that "Boots repairing IG". No such IG exist, do not take us too seriously!

Preparing for SLA Fiesta

This post is a tad late but for those who have not seen what Kate and Mag have in stores for you while they did some friendship bands for the freshmen, watch this video to find out!

Passing and more passing

Over the past week, the team's training was focused on passing. Passing may only be a word but it's such an important skill in the game of soccer! You would definitely want to keep possession by making good passes between your team mates and if you want to get a goal!

The team gathers with the coach to hear what's next.

The team busy with their passing.

At the booth!

So it's day 1 of SLA Fiesta today and all in a day, we managed a number of 10 students who registered their interest in joining the team! Not too bad for women's soccer though definitely we would be unable to beat the 150 over registered names that the men's soccer have. We will get there, someday!

The view of the booth, just like a usual soccer fan's bedroom.
Who wouldn't like a wall with Kaka, Guti and Henry on it?

Fiza, Sam, Wana, Ernie and Mag get together for a photo with 2 of the men's soccer team players.

So that's a wrap from day 1 of SLA Fiesta 2011!

Do come back and check out what happened on day 2 tomorrow and we will have some videos just for you! Remember to also join us on our twitter!

SLA Fiesta 2011!

The annual recruitment drive is here again at Student Life Activities (SLA) Fiesta!

Visit our booth at booth no. 9 at the Agora Halls if you are interested to join the team! There are some lil' gifts for you from the team and check out the amazing booth design by the team too!

See you there!

Orrrrientation Programme 2011

So!

If you've been following our twitter, you would've known that some of the players were busy leading their respective schools and centres in the Orientation Programme 2 weeks ago held for the freshmen!

At the end of the 3 days, reigning champion SHL took a step down and came in 2nd in the overall Principal Challenge Cup. So what about the new Champion? Well, the Champion at the end of the 3 days went to SEG!

Mim, one of the leaders for her school, SHL, with the facepaint.

Sheu, with her fellow SOH leaders, assisting to provide good hospitality in keeping the field neat after the Tug Of War!

Great job to all leaders and may next year's Orientation Programme be another great one!

Congratulations to SEG for being Champion this year and also to all other winners!