It was another big day for Indian Hockey as reliable midfielder Neha Goyal completed her 100th appearance for the Indian Eves. On her auspicious occasion she was congratulated by Hockey India. She achieved this milestone during the Indian Women’s team’s clash against Argentina in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Neha Goyal has been a regular member of this Indian Women’s team mainly due to her tireless work rate and never say die spirit. Over the last couple of years she has cemented her place in the national team and has not let her intensity drop and therefore she has now featured in 100 matches which is a big feat for a player. Although he is highly experienced in this team, Neha is only getting started at 25. Speaking about her milestone the midfielder was thankful to be a part of this group as she wishes to grow even more. She also shared how proud she is to be a part of this team which has grown so much in the last couple of years. Neha said, “I am grateful to represent the country every time I receive the opportunity to do so. I am proud of the growth our team has made over the past few years, and I am glad to be a part of this growth. I am thankful to everyone in the team for helping me along the way as well.”
The 25-year-old midfielder caught the eye of the Indian coaches during her Indian Junior team stint She was selected for the Indian Women’s Junior Hockey team at the age of 14 and her consistent performances going forward impressed the coaches. She was then selected for the U21 team for the Four Nation Lal Bahadur Shastri Women’s Hockey Tournament and there again she proved herself as she bagged the Player of the Tournament award.
It was in 2014 Neha Goyal got her senior team debut at the FIH Champions Challenge in Glasgow. Since then she has seen a lot of changes in Indian Women’s hockey as she was an integral part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018 followed by another silver medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta in the same year.
Neha played a very important role in the Indian Women’s Team’s historic run at last year’s Tokyo Olympics. The Indian Eves won against Australia and were very close to win the bronze medal.
Indian coach Janneke Schopman was full of praise for the talented midfielder as she feels that Neha has the capability to achieve even great milestones with her talent and determination. Congratulating Neha on her 100th International Cap, Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, “As a player, it is always special to complete a milestone and I believe Neha has the talent and determination to go on to achieve bigger milestones in her career. I congratulate her on completing 100 international caps. She has faced several hardships to reach where she is now and is a big inspiration to many young girls coming from her region. I wish her more success in the future.”
