BUKIT JALIL: Coach Arul Selvaraj wants his Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) side to maintain their momentum in the P. Alagendra Cup following the 10-0 thrashing of Selangor in Wednesday’s first round match at the National Hockey Stadium.
“It is a great start. The players played fantastic hockey and it is a sign that they are blending in well. Every match is important and we must move forward in the quarterfinals,” said Arul
.
“Selangor were tight in the first quarter before we found our way in the second quarter onwards.
“I am very happy with the combination of Australian Kieren Ian Govers and Marhan Jalil in attack.
“Sander de Wijn of the Netherlands also did a great job in defence.
“My message to all my players is simple. If we want to play in the final, we need to be consistent in all matches.”
UniKL will play MBPJ Tigers, who defeated MSN Terengganu 2-1, in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Govers scored in the fifth, 17th, 30th, 41st and 51st minutes while Marhan (10th), Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin (20th), S. Selvaraju (23rd), Faridzul Afiq (39th) and Najmi Farizal Jazlan (52nd) completed the rout.
The 29-year-old Govers said: “It is a great start. We have to continue this momentum. We need to be prepared as we will be facing tougher teams along the way.”
UniKL have not won a title in the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) since their debut in 2011.
In the last two seasons of the P. Alagendra Cup, UniKL lost in the quarterfinals stage.
Results
1st rd: KLHC 1 Maybank 1 (KLHC win 2-1 on penalty shootout), Penang Hockey Club 5 Olak 1, MBPJ Tigers 2 MSN Terengganu 1, Selangor 0 UniKL 10, RMAF Rajawali 2 UiTM 4, TNB Thunderbolts 5 BJSS 1
Fixtures
Thursday Quarter-finals
UniKL v MBPJ Tigers (6pm, Pitch One)
Terengganu Hockey Club v RMAF Rajawali (8pm, Pitch One)
Penang Hockey Club v TNB Thunderbolts (6pm, Pitch Two)
KLHC v TNB (8pm, Pitch Two)
* matches at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil