Uttar Pradesh Wizards start with fighting victory in HIL
JALANDHAR: Jaypee Punjab Warriors suffered their third straight loss as the Uttar Pradesh Wizards overcame them 2-1 in a Hero Hockey India League match at the Surjit Singh stadium on Thursday.
Looking for that elusive win, the Punjab side came out all guns blazing against the Wizards but their inability to convert four penalty corners dragged the Jamie Dwyer-led side down. This was Wizards’ first match of the league.
With both teams locked at 1-1, an error by the highly-rated Warriors goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann handed the lead to the Wizards in the 58th minute and the visitors ensured that there were no last minute hiccups.
Stockmann, who was outstanding under the bar till then, inadvertently directed a Wizards skipper VR Raghunath’s hit into his own goal.
Earlier, Jeroen Hertzberger put the Wizards ahead in the 17th minute but Dwyer got his team back in the match with a 40th minute strike. “We don’t seem to find the goals. We have also conceded three own goals and that is an area of concern,” said Dwyer, referring to the second goal scored by the Wizards.
But for that stroke of bad luck, the Warriors did everything to change their fortunes. Their game showed a lot of purpose from the start and the approach looked like bearing fruit as they registered regular circle penetrations in the first quarter and even earned two penalty corners.
Sukhdev Singh got the best opportunity to put his team in the lead in the 15th minute but he could not give the right direction to a pin-point cross from his captain Dwyer.
The visitors made them pay for the lapse immediately. Midfielder David Alegre made a fine run inside the striking circle from the right and Hertzberger had to only tap in his cross.
Result: Punjab Warriors 1 (Jamie Dwyer 40) lost to Uttar Pradesh Wizards 2 (Jeroen Hertzberger 17, Jaap Stockmann 58 OG)