Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) chalked up 3-2 wins in their semi-final, second-leg ties yesterday to set up the showdown.
BJSS, who won 2-1 in the first-leg, snuffed out Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) hopes of a comeback with three goals in the first-half at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Although MBPJ managed to get two goals, BJSS were comfortable 5-3 winners on aggregate.
Over at the Bandar Penawar Hockey Stadium, BPSS had a 4-1 lead over Tenaga Nasional from the first-leg but found themselves down by two goals in the first-half. But BPSS struck three times in the second-half to go through 7-3 on aggregate.
Tenaga took the lead in the 10th minute with a penalty corner goal by Mohd Faiz Adnan.
Seven minutes later Mohd Sabri Mohd scored from another penalty corner to reduce the aggregate score to 4-3 and, suddenly, it seemed like Tenaga might just be able to pull off an upset.
But once Mohd Firhan Ashaari scored for BPSS in the 46th minute, it was as good as game over for Tenaga.
And further goals by Mohd Fitri Saari (48th minute) and Mohd Noor Faeez (55th) were simply icing on the cake for BPSS, who will be playing in their first-ever final since the Junior Hockey League started in 1995.
The BJSS-MBPJ match at the National Hockey Stadium had to be switched from the main pitch, which was in deplorable condition, to the second pitch just before the start.
This switch paid off handsomely for BJSS, who scored three times in 11 first-half minutes.
Mohd Fahmi Faiz got the first in the eighth minute off a penalty corner set piece.
A second penalty corner set piece four minutes later resulted in a penalty stroke for BJSS and Dangerous Lee converted it to make it 2-0.
Then, in the 19th minute, Mohd Izad Hakimi made it 3-0 for the day and 5-1 on aggregate off another penalty corner set piece.
Although Mohd Faiz Shukri (24th minute) and Mohd Aidil Hakimi (44th) reduced the deficit, there was no stopping BJSS from gunning for their 12th title in the series.
BJSS have won the League title seven times and the overall title four times.
Their coach, S. Prakash, said the early goals helped his team settled down and gave them the edge.
“We needed to score early. It would have been a mistake to sit back on the first-leg lead. The players did well to get the early goals and this allowed us to relax a bit in the second-half. We need to get proper rest as the final in just two days away,” he said.
“MBPJ deserve credit for putting up a fight. We need to work harder if we are to retain the title against BPSS.”
MBPJ coach Paul Raj blamed their exit on their inability to defend BPSS’ penalty corner set piece moves, just like in the first-leg.
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