UMS bully UBD in semis

TITLEHOLDERS Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) earned the chance to defend their Borneo Universities' Staff Sports Championship football crown after thrashing hosts Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) 8-0 in yesterday's semi-final at the Berakas Sports Complex.

The win sets them up with a championship decider against Universiti Teknologi Mara, Semarahan campus, Kuching (UiTM Sarawak) today after the Sarawakians beat Universiti Teknologi Mara, Kota Kinabalu campus (UiTM Sabah) 6-0 in yesterday's other semi-final held at the Balapan Track & Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

UMS will play UiTM Sarawak for the title at the Balapan Track & Field at 8pm while UBD will take on UiTM Sabah in the battle for bronze at the Berakas Sports Complex at 4pm.

With a 6-0 lead heading into the dressing room at half-time, it was no surprise that a relaxed UMS would go on to win the match.

Azman Soaibah, Rudy Boliku and Thomas Stefanus each scored a brace for UMS, with Mony Mian and Mohd Azhar Abd Kadir also contributing to the win.

It took Mian only seven minutes to get on the scoresheet, with Boliku doubling the team's lead a minute later when he caught UBD's defence napping.

Stefanus fired in a pair of goals in the space of four minutes, finding the net in the 12th and 16th minutes to hand UMS a 4-0 lead in the first quarter of an hour.

Boliku netted the team's fifth in the 27th minute and Mohd Azhar would make it 6-0 five minutes before the break.

A relatively quiet second half for UMS came to an end in the 67th minute when Azman scored with a header off a corner, adding his second of the match four minutes before the final whistle with another headed goal.

UBD's poor passing was their biggest downfall yesterday and they were hardly able to get past UMS's three defenders, a stark comparison to a confident UMS side which fluidly moved the ball around the pitch and had no trouble finding space.

Using through balls to break down their opponents defence, UMS were unlucky not to have scored more with a shot hitting the post mid-way through the period.

"It was not that we wanted to hand them (UBD) such a heavy defeat," explained UMS's coach Andrew @ Mohd Adam, "it was just that the players had to maintain their rhythm.

"If they didn't, it might have had an effect on their performance in the final. They played according to instructions ... so I am happy."

A total of 497 athletes from eight universities are participating in the Borneo Universities' Staff Sports Championship, with Brunei represented by hosts UBD, Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) and Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College (KUPU SB).

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Bintulu campus (UPM) and UiTM Sarawak are representing Sarawak while UMS and UiTM Sabah are flying the flag for Sabah at the eight-day competition which will come to a close tomorrow.The Brunei Times