Goals galore for THT and KLHC

Except for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) who prevailed 1-0 over Tenaga Nasional Berhad, it was a day of goals galore by the top guns in the TNBMHL 2017 Premier League on Sunday. Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) overcame their recent disappointment in the Charity Shield against Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) by demolishing Universiti Teknologi MARA-KPT 9-0 at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu. National forward Faizal Saari netted a hat-trick (26th,, 34th and 43rd minutes) whilst two goals each from Firhan Ashaari (5th, and 59th minutes), Nicolas Enrique (12th and 23rd minutes) and Ismail Abu (37th and 54th minutes) presented the east coast side with this easy win over the newly promoted former Division One outfit. In Malacca, Maybank defeated Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) 4-0 at the Bukit Serindit Hockey Stadium with Koreans Nam Hyun Woo and Jang Yoon Hyuk being the Tigers critical lynchpins. Nam scored a brace whilst Jang and Hafifihafiz Hanafi scored a piece. KLHC also humbled 2016 Division One champions TNB Thunderbolts 6-1 at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association Stadium on Jalan Pantai. The former Premier League champions stormed to an early lead in the first quarter of the match. Meor Muhamad Azuan Hasan opened the scoring in the 14th minute from open play, Muhammad Azri Hasan doubled the lead within 40 seconds upon resumption after goal and Muhammad Rashid Baharom made it 3-0 in the 28th minute. KLHC went 4-0 ahead in the third quarter when Dedy Aryadi Jumaidi got himself on the score sheet in the 39th minute and Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin converted a penalty corner in the 52nd minute for the fifth goal. Thunderbolts reduced the deficit through Muhammad Akhimullah Anuar Esook in the next turn but the celebrations did not last long as Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof slotted the sixth goal to give KLHC an easy victory. UNIKL moved to the top of the table standings after a hard-fought 1-0 win over TNB at the KLHA Stadium. With six points from two wins so far, UniKL pipped Maybank to second place as a result of superior goal difference thanks to their 5-0 win over SSTMI last Friday. Faridzul Afiq Mohd scored the solitary goal in the 49th minute with a strike from the edge of the semi-circle after TNB failed to take advantage of their chances which saw them squandering two penalty corners during the first half of the match. In the fourth quarter, TNB came close to scoring the equalizer through another penalty corner. However, they were again denied by the impressive Argentina’s international goalkeeper, Tomas Matias Santiago. UNIKL coach, Arul Selvaraj was impressed with the way his team played choosing to highlight on the team’s mental strength and fighting spirit as they registered their second successive victory. “I am happy with my players’ performance today as they showcased fluidity within their game especially when going forward. However, I am slightly disappointed as we failed to convert our chances, especially in the first half,” said the former national player. Premier League Results:  THT 9 UiTM 0; Maybank 4 SSTMI 0; UniKL 1 TNB 0; KLHC 6 TNB Thunderbolts 1.