– Hockey Punjab edge-pasts Hockey Odisha 8-3 to enter the Final
– Hockey Jharkhand pulls down Hockey Haryana 4-2 and books a berth for the Finale clash
Ranchi, 30 May 2015: The ongoing 5th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women National Championship 2015 witnessed two intense semi –final battles today where the teams played their best to book themselves for the final clash to be held tomorrow.
In the first crucial battle between Hockey Punjab and Hockey Odisha, Hockey Punjab registered a wonderful victory against the opponents by 8-3 and made it to the Final of the tournament. Followed by this was the second match between Hockey Jharkhand and Hockey Haryana where Hockey Jharkhand defeated Hockey Haryana by 4-2 and declared themselves as the second Finalist.
The tournament will witness an exciting face off between Hockey Punjab and Hockey Jharkhand in the finals tomorrow, whereas, Hockey Odisha and Hockey Haryana will clash for the third position.
The first Semi Final clash was a delightful session for Hockey Punjab as they overpowered the opponents by 8-3 as they marched towards the finals. Hockey Punjab began the game on a good note by scoring their first goal in the early 7th minute which was a field effort by Reet. Having started the proceedings, Hockey Punjab maintained a good pace in the entire first half. The second goal came in for the team in the 11thminute when Ramanpreet Kaur smashed an excellent field goal. Hockey Odisha was witnessed making efforts to open their account by trying to capitalize on the opportunities, but it was yet again Hockey Punjab who added the third goal to their score card when Arminder Kaur smartly entered the opponent’s defence to slam the ball into the nets in the 16thminute. This was followed by the fourth field goal for the team in the very next minute coming from the stick of Reet who was in action again. Trying hard to come back in the game, it was in the 34th minute that Hockey Odisha opened their account with a penalty corner converted by Ashim Kanchan which took the scores to 4-1 in favor of Hockey Punjab. The proceedings in the second half were commenced by Hockey Odisha who converted a penalty stroke in the 37th minute. Undeterred by the second consecutive goal by the opponents, Hockey Punjab high on confidence continued with a consistent performance as they scored four field goals in the 40th, 43rd, 49th and 53rd minute which took the scores to 8-2. Hockey Odisha in their desperate attempt to make a comeback in the match managed to score their third goal in the 57th minute which was beautifully struck by Mariamma Kujur. But Hockey Odisha’s efforts to control the match came in too late, enabling Hockey Punjab to declare themselves as one of the finalist for tomorrow’s crucial match.
The second semi- final clash between Hockey Haryana and Hockey Jharkhand proved to be a hard- fought battle as each team was looking to enter the finals of the tournament. While Hockey Haryana were good at their defence and attack, but Hockey Jharkhand proved to be a better team as they managed to sneak in four goals and kept the opponents at bay, to win the match 4-2. Hockey Jharkhand took the initial lead through Albela Rani who struck a field goal in the early three minutes. The lead was short-lived as Hockey Haryana immediately reacted in the fourth minute through Manju Chorsiya who leveled the scores at 1-1. Both the teams tried to create space in each other’s D, but were unable to add any further goals to their account, leaving the score board at a 1-1 in the first half. Just two minutes after going into the second half, Alka Dungdung of Hockey Jharkhand netted the second goal for her team in the 37th minute and took the scores to 2-1. Hockey Jharkhand increased their tempo of attack as 52nd and 56th minutes saw two subsequent field goals coming from the stick of Albela Rani and Pinki Ekka respectively that advanced the lead to 4-1 in favour of Hockey Jharkhand. Hockey Haryana attempted to bounce back into the game when Manju Chorsiya did no mistake and struck a beautiful field goal in the 59th minute reducing the margin by 2-4. With this, Hockey Jharkhand concluded the game with a 4-2 win over Hockey Haryana to enter the final of the tournament tomorrow.
Results of the day-
Semi Final 1- Hockey Punjab 8 Reet (7min-FG,17min-FG),Ramanpreet Kaur (11min-FG),Arminder Kaur (16min-FG,40min-FG,49min-FG,53min-FG) Navneet Kaur (43min-FG)VS Hockey Odisha 3 Ashim Kanchan(34 min-PC),Priyanka Kujur (37min-PS), Mariamma Kujur (57min-FG)
Semi Final 2 Hockey Jharkhand 4 Albela Rani (3min- FG, 52min-FG), Alka Dungdung (37min-FG), Pinki Ekka (56min-FG) vs Hockey Haryana 2Manju Chorsiya (4min-FG, 59min-FG)