SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – National men’s water polo coach Rey Galang is gunning for a podium finish as his charges take on past tormentor Indonesia at the start of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games water polo competitions at the New Clark City Aquatic Center in Capas, Tarlac on Tuesday, November 26.
“Last time we placed 4th in the Malaysia SEA Games so now we’re aiming for a podium finish,” said Galang, whose wards tackle the Indons in the last match of a triple-header at 7 pm.
The day opens with Singapore playing defending women’s champion Thailand at 10 am, while Malaysia faces Thailand in the other men’s match at 5 pm.
The Filipino campaigners won once and lost 3 matches in the 2017 SEA Games, including a 2-5 loss to Indonesia, which finished runner-up to perennial men’s water polo champion Singapore.
“But we already beat the Indonesians twice in international play this year so we are confident about our chances against them on Tuesday,” Galang, a former national player himself, noted.
He added that their stint in last month’s FINA Water Polo Challenger’s Cup in Singapore was a huge boost for his players.
The Pinoy bets wound up 5th overall among the 10 teams that saw action in the competition, and among their losses was an 7-11 decision to the Singaporeans in the group stage.
Galang admitted that Singapore, which is seeking to retain the championship for the 28th straight time, was still the team to beat and the two squads collide on Friday, November 29, just before the opening ceremonies at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan the succeeding day.
The Filipinos earlier had a raging rivalry with the Singaporeans, winding up bridesmaids 5 times to the latter in previous SEA Games battles, including a heartbreaking 5-6 setback to the mighty Sea Lions when the country last hosted the regional sports showcase in 2005.
The bespectacled mentor stressed that given the single-round format of the five-team tournament “every game is a must-win for all the squads. We can ill-afford to relax against any of these teams.”
With only 3 teams including host Philippines, the women’s water polo competition will be a double-round series, with only the gold and silver to be awarded at the end of the event.
National women’s coach Aldo Tong is hoping that his team will secure one of them, considering that his squad is reinforced by Fil-Ams, bannered by twin siblings Haden Skye Alysabeth Bates and Kieran Scout Noelle Bates.
Alysabeth, a goalkeeper, and Scout, an attacker, are freshman varsity players at the University Redlands in Southern California, which is an NCAA Division school that plays in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“I believe this is the reason why one of the countries backed out once it learned we had Fil-Ams in the team,” Tong bared.
The Philippine women’s water polo team take to the pool for the first time against Singapore on Wednesday, November 27. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.