With the Charity Shield locked safely in the closet of Universiti Kuala Lumpur’s Hall of Fame at the Tengku Abdullah Hockey Stadium in Bangi, the reigning Premier League champions are fired up in defence of the title.
It was a historical moment for UniKL on Friday night at the National Hockey Stadium when they clawed back to equalize 2-2 against Terengganu Hockey Team with a brace from Muhammad Razie Abdul Rahim via penalty corner conversions before Dutch international Roel Bovendeert added to THT’s misery with a 50th minute field goal that sparked jubilation.
This is the first time UniKL won the Charity Shield after falling behind last season. However, despite the setback, UniKL went on to clinch the 2019 Premier League title and runner-up in the TNB Cup.
“The win over THT has put us in the driver’s seat and I am happy with the great performance from the players. They played their hearts out and we will continue this kind of momentum in every match,” said UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj. “Thumbs up to goalkeeper Adrian (Andy Albert) for a dazzling performance. He played exceptionally well.”
“The team played well in the first two quarters but made some mistakes in the third quarter. We need to sort out the minor mistakes that led to goals being scored,” he said.
UniKL’s next game is against Hockademy Kuala Lumpur tomorrow in Bukit Jalil. Hockademy went down 4-1 against Maybank in their first match of the TNBMHL 2020 season.
On the head injury suffered by Australian Kieran Govers, the coach revealed that Govers is recuperating well from the ordeal when he attempted to avoid a rising shot but the ball struck him on the head.
“He suffered a mild concussion and was taken to Pantai Medical Centre for treatment. The doctors have cleared him of any serious injury and resting at home,” said Arul. “We are monitoring his condition and he looks alright.”
Arul also gave credit to 27-year-old Bovendeert for putting up a gritty display in his first match of the season.
“Back in Holland, Bovendeert has scored 12 goals in 13 matches. The Charity Shield match was a good start for him and UniKL as well. Give him more time to settle down as he only arrived recently,” added Arul.
