Canberra, Sep 29
Kanika Siwach (32') scored the winning goal as the Indian junior women hockey team recorded a 1-0 victory over the Australia U21 side in their third match of the ongoing Australia Tour at the National Hockey Centre here on Monday.
After a tough contest between the two sides in the first half, India finally broke the deadlock courtesy of a crucial field goal by Kanika Siwach in the opening minutes of the third quarter to claim the win for her side.
India had lost two games on the trot against the Australia U21 side earlier, but with this win, the visitors will be hoping to ride on the newfound momentum and bounce back in the remaining matches of this tour.
Earlier, junior women's hockey team suffered a narrow 2-3 loss in their first match of the Australia tour against their U21 side at the National Hockey Centre in Canberra on Friday. Lalthantluangi (47') and Sonam (54') were the goal scorers for India, while Bianca Zurrer (36'), Evie Sransby (45'), and Sammy Love (59') scored goals for Australia.
In their second game, endured a tough outing as it went down 0-5 to the Australia U21 side. Makayla Jones (10', 11', 52'), Sami Love (38'), Migaliya Howell (50') were the goal scorers for the hosts.
India will next play two matches against Canberra Chill, a club playing in Australia's premier Hockey One League, on September 30 and October 2 to conclude their Australia Tour.
This series serves as a crucial step for the Indian side ahead of the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2025 to be held in Santiago, Chile in December.
The exposure to top-quality opposition in Australia is expected to play a key role in enhancing their quality and confidence in international conditions.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great to see the team bouncing back! Playing against strong teams like Australia U21 is exactly what our girls need before the Junior World Cup. The experience will be invaluable for their development.
While the win is encouraging, we need to address the inconsistency. Losing 0-5 in the second match and then winning 1-0 shows we have work to do on maintaining performance levels. But definitely a step in the right direction!
Kanika Siwach - remember the name! Scoring the winning goal against Australia U21 is no small feat. This is the kind of talent that will take Indian women's hockey to new heights. More power to our young players! 💪
The exposure tour is working exactly as intended. Playing against different styles of hockey will make our team more adaptable. Looking forward to seeing them in the Junior World Cup next year!
So happy for the team! After those initial losses, this victory must mean so much to them. The confidence boost will be huge for the remaining matches. Keep going girls, the entire nation is behind you! ✨
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