It's really difficult to accept reality. But that is the tough truth.
We started with tremendously low self-esteem. We didn't trust ourselves. Neither did we trust our own teammates. We may have lots of faith in ourselves, but we all realised that isnt enough to make a football team. We thought individuals are the sole requirements to carry a team. We thought as long as we go for trainings, we are playing awesome soccer.
But then, today, we proved ourselves.
We may not have won against IJC or SAJC. Some say it's bad luck, some say we didn't take all of our chances well. The match against SAJC is one I will never forget. I don't say this often, which means that when I say it, it's that important and memorable. Every single individual in the team upholded their respective responsibility. Every single individual gave themselves to the team. Every single individual out there wanted to prove themselves, and they did, really. We threw our bodies at the ball. We fought like warriors.
Definitely, it's a difficult loss to swallow. Nevertheless, we walked out of the SAJC field as winners. We went in as the underdogs, expected to lose to the strong SAJC players. We knew in terms of game experience, talent and technical experience, our opponents were much much ahead of us. I believed everyone was afraid, because so much was at stake, and the result seemed determined even before the match was played. But we showed that No One Is Here By Chance. It was a tough match to play, but we excelled.
Before I wrote this post, I read Kaiwen's genuine expressive note. It was a note of reflection, not only for himself, but definitely also for the entire hwachong soccer team (I believe). It is indeed true that some of the players got really emotional after the match, like kaiwen and olivier, because they have given their all and yet, the results do not reflect their diligence and determination. I salute these people. I admire them for their spirit. I am proud to be their teammate.
I got really disappointed that we didnt get anything out of the match. Everyone was. Some cried. Some sat alone contemplating. Some were staring into blank space. But as emotional as I may be, I controlled myself. I understood that we gave everything we had to secure at least a point. It was not a bad match; in fact, it was the best match ever played. I want to keep my hopes high. I want to remain confident that this year will be the year that the hwachong soccer team finally gets past to the next round.
Hence, I lifted my head up. And urged everyone else to lift theirs as well.
Because for all you know, nothing is over.
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