SG Pipers just managed one outright win in the inaugural Women’s Hockey India League but have started the second edition in fine fashion, making it two wins in two matches. And it was captain Navneet Kaur who led the charge again, scoring her second in two matches, in a tight 1-0 win against Soorma Hockey Club in Ranchi on Wednesday.
Story continues below this ad
When Soorma defender Shihori Oikawa miscontrolled the ball high up the pitch, Navneet Kaur stole possession and began sprinting. The India vice captain, who hoped to contribute more goals in the HIL this year and sought to play with freedom, now had the length of the field in front of her to run into. She dribbled all the way into the circle, shifted the ball to her right to beat the last defender and struck a powerful shot across goal to beat Savita Punia. It’d be the only goal of the game.
It was an early dagger for Soorma, who must have felt a sense of deja vu. In their opening match against Bengal Tigers, they had 28 circle entries and 13 Penalty Corners, failing to convert any of those into a goal. And against Pipers, they managed a whopping 35 circle entries without finding the final touch that mattered. Rushed attacks in the final third were a constant feature for Salima Tete’s side as attacks repeatedly broke down once they entered the circle.
Story continues below this ad
For Pipers too, the scoreline could have been better as Navneet was denied a second goal late in the piece by a sensational piece of goalkeeping by Savita. In the final quarter, with Soorma pouring forward in search of an equaliser at the very least, spaces opened up in their defence. Sharmila Devi and Sunelita Toppo, two speedy Indian internationals, combined at pace to release Navneet through on goal. In hockey, it is not easy for a goalkeeper to rush out and save in such situations because of the gear they were, but Savita read the danger early. She took the call to go towards Navneet instead of tracking back, and swept the ball away with her stick, nailing the late tackle when Navneet was ready to add to her goal tally.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd