Pic: Chua Boon Huat being congratulated by KLHC players after he scored.UNIKL turned the tables on favourites Tenaga Nasional, when they held them to a 3-3 draw with a last gasp equaliser in the Premier Division of the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League at the National Stadium yesterday.
In another match, double champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) hammered the daylights out of Yayasan Negri Sembilan (YNS) with and eight-goal fest.
The Universiti side, parading Project 2013 players, were expected to receive a hiding from Tenaga, but they proved to be resilient.
At one point, UniKL were leading 2-0, but inexperience saw them collapse.
The UniKL goals were scored by Noor Faeez Ibrahim (ninth, 70th), Hafiz Zainal (25th).
Amin Rahim (26th) and Faisal Saari (48th, 69th) scored the Tenaga goals.
"It was a match that we should have won but inexperience let us down. However, on the overall, I am happy with the spirit shown by my players. They did not give up until the final whistle," said UniKL manager Amir Azhar.
UniKL could have sealed the match, but let in some easy goals.
"We let in soft goals and need to work towards tightening our defense. Getting them to play consistently throughout the match seems to be our biggest challenge but given the fact that they are showing marked improvement in every match is a positive sign.
"I rather look at it as a point gained then two lost, as we were not given much of a chance before the match. And my players raised their game to match one of the favourites."
As for Maybank, who laboured for a slim 2-1 win, coach Wallace Tam said: "It was crucial to win this match as the three points are important. We lost the first two by a close margin and played well only to lose. This time around we did not play well but won, so really I cannot complain."
RESULTS: Premier League -- Maybank 2 Armed Forces Airod 1, Nur Insafi 2 UiTM 1, UniKL 3 TNB 3, YNS 0 KL Hockey Club 8.
Div One: BJSS 2 SSTMI-Thunderbolt 3, UNIMAP 2 Ipoh City Hall 3.
