A good start to the Women U18 Asia Cup
Another positive development after the men went through to the semifinals in the Junior Hockey Cup yesterday! India’s U18 women team blanked Chinese Taipei 4-0 in a clinical performance at the U18 Asia Cup opener.
India got off the blocks to a rollicking start with the first goal coming as early as the 2nd minute. The goal was registered courtesy a great effort from Leelavathy Mallamda Jaya. Thereafter, the flurry of goals continued as there was no looking back for the Indian team.
Match review
Throughout the entire 1st half, India pressurized the Chinese Taipei defence and penetrated deep into their half. The first goal scorer Jaya in specific was bang on target in her attack by creating opportunities and chances repeatedly. Even though this persistent attack, the Indians were unable to breach the goal again in the first half.
In an eerily similar fashion, Sangita Kumari consolidated the lead by scoring the goal in the 2nd minute. This goal swung the contest in the favour of the Indians. Later on, the Sangita-Jaya duo would work extremely well to convert the simplest of tap-ins.
To make things even better, Sangita would storm home a third goal to complete her hattrick. The goal came through a successful penalty corner conversion in the 65th minute to give India an easy 4-0 victory.
The coach speaks
Coach Baljeet Singh seemed ecstatic about the teams performance. He said ” It was a great performance to get our tournament up and running. It was immensely satisfying to see the intensity of our game today, and from a physical aspect, it was a testament to how hard we have worked in the camp.”
He however rued the team’s inefficiency from the penalty corners and hoped to turn it around in the next encounter. The Sportsrush wishes the Indian colts all the best in the upcoming matches of the Women’s U18 Asia Cup.
