Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): The league stage of the 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship concluded on Tuesday with Hockey Karnataka and Hockey Manipur winning their respective Pool G matches at the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium in Pimpri, Pune.
With the top team from each Pool qualifying for the knock-outs, the stage is set for some high-octane action and top-quality hockey. All the Quarter-Finals are scheduled to take place on Wednesday with the winners going through to the Semis that are to be played on Friday.
The first Quarter-Final will be played between defending Champions Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Bengal. Led by Indian Women’s Hockey team defender Ishika Chaudhary, Hockey Madhya Pradesh beat Chhattisgarh Hockey 8-0 and Hockey Bihar 7-1 to top Pool A and qualify for the knockouts. Hockey Bengal on the other hand defeated Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 2-0, Telangana Hockey 11-0 and Hockey Gujarat 28-0 to top Pool H.
Hosts Hockey Maharashtra will face off against Hockey Manipur in the second Quarter-Final. By defeating Delhi Hockey 3-0 and Kerala Hockey 10-0, Hockey Maharashtra finished in first place in Pool B while Manipur Hockey defeated Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 12-0, Hockey Karnataka 3-0 and Hockey Uttarakhand 11-2 to finish first in Pool G.
The third Quarter-Final will see Hockey Jharkhand play Hockey Mizoram. Hockey Jharkhand, boasting of four international players, posted a commanding win over Hockey Andhra Pradesh 13-0 before drawing with Uttar Pradesh Hockey 2-2 to top Pool C by means of having a better goal difference than Uttar Pradesh Hockey. Hockey Mizoram, however, has topped Pool F on the back of three consecutive wins, defeating Hockey Himachal 10-0, Hockey Rajasthan 20-2 and Hockey Punjab 4-2.
Hockey Haryana will play Hockey Association of Odisha in the fourth Quarter Finals. The star-studded Hockey Haryana team with 11 international players and led by Indian Women’s Hockey Team Captain Savita goes into the knock-outs with two massive wins without conceding a single goal, defeating Assam Hockey 15-0 and Le Puducherry Hockey 22-0 to top Pool D.
Pool E toppers Hockey Association of Odisha qualified after beating Goans Hockey 9-1 and Hockey Chandigarh 6-1.
All the Quarter-Finals will be played on Wednesday with the winners going through to the Semi-Finals to be played on Friday.
In Tuesday’s games, Manipur Hockey and Hockey Karnataka won their respective matches in Pool G.
Manipur Hockey defeated Hockey Uttarakhand 11-2 in the final match of the league stage to qualify for the knock-outs. Sarita Dev Bramhacharimayum (8′, 24′), Prabhleen Kaur (14′, 45′) and Chingshubam Sanggai Ibemhal (53′, 60′) scored braces while Vartika Rawat (5′), Sonia Devi Kshetrimayum (7′), Ranjita Sanasam (44′), Captain Lily Chanu Mayengbam (57′) and Chanu Lanchenbi Khundrakpam (59′) scored a goal each for Manipur Hockey. The two goals for Hockey Uttarakhand were field goals that came from the sticks of Komal Dhami (36′) and Monika Chand (41′).
Earlier in the day, Hockey Karnataka defeated Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 13-0. Captain of Hockey Karnataka Kruthika SP (15′, 26′, 56′, 56′) led from the front with four goals while MG Yashika (20′, 38′, 58′) scored a hat-trick, Chandana J (33′, 37′) scored a brace and Adira S (43′), Prashu Singh Parihar (48′), Anjali H R (55′) and Gedela Gayatri (60′) scored a goal each. (ANI)
