BANGALORE: HAL edged past MEG (Red) to enter the semifinals of the State-level hockey tournament for the Kodava Cup at the BEL grounds Jalahalli here on Tuesday. The scores were tied 1-1 at halftime.

Rohit Tirkey put MEG (Red) in the lead with a fifth-minute strike but goals from Mohd. Naeem (34th), Praveen (40th) and young Vineet Michael (57th) gave the Aircraftmen a healthy 3-1 lead. Keshavan managed to pull one back for the Sappers in the dying minutes.

In the second quarterfinal of the day, ASC too scored a narrow 2-1 win over KSP. Arpit Singh (17th) and R. Bhendra (47th) scored for the Army side, while Pradeep scored the consolation goal for KSP.

HAL and ASC join Central Excise and Canara Bank in the last four. While Central Excise humbled BEML (Bangalore) 5-1, the bankmen downed MEG (Blue) 3-1 in the quarterfinal matches played on Monday. — Special Correspondent