Haryana and Punjab seal places in 35th National Games women's hockey finals

Kerala, February 10, 2015: With hockey entering into its last leg at the 35th National Games, the two semi final games played at the New Hockey Stadium, Kollam (Kerala) witnessed nerve-racking and thrilling clashes of Haryana eves taking on Jharkhand and Odisha women challenging the mighty Punjab, early morning today. Whilst Haryana and Jharkhand battled it out in the Shoot-Out phase with Haryana finally winning the game in the sudden death, Punjab recorded a comfortable triumph over Odisha as it blanked the latter 3-0.

The first hockey semi final of the National Games saw both the teams- Haryana and Jharkhand starting the game at equal high, playing with full enthusiasm and zeal, with a clear intent to book a berth in the finale. The action packed match had both the sides playing an attacking game, looking for chances to open their scoring account and gain a lead while the defenders put in their best efforts to restrict the opponents from entering their D and get hold of any chances to reach the nets. Amidst the best game play, Jyoti Gupta of Haryana found a gap and managed to sneak in the first goal of the match, giving her side a lead much wished for. 

The second half began with escalated fervor as none of the teams found chances to score more. It was as late as in the 62nd minute that Kanti of Jharkhand finally helped her team to level the score at 1-1 through her brilliant field goal. With no further goals being scored, the game went into the Shoot Out phase as Jyoti and Kanti again tied the score at 1-1 for their respective teams.  This resulted in the game going on to the Sudden Death where it was Jyoti Gupta kept her nerves and struck for Harayana, giving them the win and a place at the Finale of 35th National Games.

In the subsequent game, Punjab registered an easy win of 3-0 over Odisha, blanking the latter to set up a final with Haryana. Continuing her luminous performance in the Games, Anuradha Thokchom of Punjab scored the initial goal for her team and this lead soared up the confidence of her team. With boosted buoyancy, the women from Punjab went on to dominate the entire game throughout the first half giving the opponents no chance to score. Anu Bala opened the second half of the match with a radiant field goal for her team in the 36th minute and doubled the score as Odisha was still goal-less, looking out for opportunities to post a goal. With some amazing stick-work and game approach, Punjab did not allow Odisha to score any goals while Manmeet Kaur scored the third goal for Punjab in the 59th minute. At the blow of the final whistle, the scores stood at 3-0, announcing a deserved win for Punjab women as they proudly walked-into the finals.

HI Press release