After a brave performance at the Tokyo Olympics last year, the Indian Women’s Hockey team finished third in the FIH Pro League. The Indian Eves finished the league with a comprehensive 4-0 win over the United States and they booked third place in the prestigious tournament.
Experienced forward Vandana Katariya scored a brace with goals in the 39th and 54th minute of the game whereas Sonika and Sangita Kumari also scored a goal each to increase the deficit against the Americans. It was a sensational performance from Janneke Schopman’s girls as they gain a lot of confidence from this performance ahead of the Women’s Hockey World Cup next month in Spain and the Netherlands.
The Indian team started the game on a positive note with Sharmila Devi getting off the blocks and entering the American defensive half in no time. She then took the shot but luck had other ideas as her shot was just wide off the post. However India were served a wake up call as within the next minute USA had a penalty corner but captain Savita Punia stood up to her task and denied USA from taking the early lead.
The game then ebbed and flowed but none of the team really looked like dominating the other. There were plenty of chances though but not much quality in the final third. However as we entered the second quarter, India were more calm and composed and enjoyed more possession. But still could not make that work to their benefit as the score remained 0-0 at the end of the first half.
India once again came off the blocks with a lot of intensity and earned a penalty corner early on which was a complete mess as they failed trapping the ball properly to atleast make an attempt on goal. However the Indian eves got another chance as they reviewed a call and earned a well deserved penalty corner, this time experienced forward Vandana Katariya made no mistake as he helped India take the lead. India continued creating pressure in the third quarter but without much success.
However all their efforts of creating openings in the USA defence paid dividends as they scored twice in a span of one minute. Both Vandana and Sonika scored a goal each to help India take a comfortable lead. The Americans did retaliate with a few aggressive moves but they could not break open the Indian defence. Whereas India’s killer blow in the match came from youngster Sangita Kumari as she scored the fourth goal of the game. This win will surely give a massive boost to Savita Punia’s girls ahead of the World Cup.
