Results from Semi-Finals of 9th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2019 (A Div)

Kollam, 9th February 2019: Hockey Jharkhand and Hockey Haryana will face each other in the Finals of 9th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2019 (A Div) after emerging victorious in their respective Semi-Final matches played at Hockey Stadium here today.

Hockey Jharkhand played the first Semi-Final against Uttar Pradesh Hockey. Both the sides played a patient game in the first two quarters. Realising the need to press, in the last two quarters both the teams created chances but couldn’t convert any. After the regulation time, the match went to Shootout.

Both Hockey Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh Hockey missed their first two shots. Hockey Jharkhand converted their third through Reshma Soreng but missed the fourth even as Uttar Pradesh Hockey converted third and fourth via Pooja Yadav and Priyanka Nishad respectively. With pressure to stay alive in the match, Sushma Kumari helped Hockey Jharkhand to convert the fifth as Uttar Pradesh Hockey missed their last shot for the match to go in Sudden Death. Hockey Jharkhand converted their sixth attempt, again by Sushma Kumari, but Uttar Pradesh Hockey buckled under pressure and missed their attempt. The match ended with a scoreline of 0-0 (3-2 SO) in favour of Hockey Jharkhand.

In the second Semi-Final of the day, Hockey Haryana got the better of Hockey Mizoram in a thrilling game. For the first quarter, the two sides kept their defence tight not allowing the forwards to make any inroads. Late into the second quarter, Hockey Mizoram’s Lalneihpuii broke the deadlock to give her side a 1-0 lead.

Hockey Haryana scored two goals early into the third quarter via Anu and Deepika in the 31st and 35th minute to ensure they kept the lead through the quarter. Deepika scored her second and Hockey Haryana’s third in the 49th minute to take her team 3-1 up. Hockey Mizoram pulled back one in the very next minute via Lalrindiki but that wasn’t enough as Hockey Haryana defended their 3-2 lead for the next ten minutes and moved to the finals.