The Indian women’s hockey team put on a strong performance in the fifth and final match of its Down Under trip, defeating Australia A 2-1 in a hard-fought match on Saturday.
India’s goals came from Navneet Kaur (10th minute) and Deep Grace Ekka (25th minute). Australia A’s lone goal was scored by Abigail Wilson in the 22nd minute.
Australia A got off to a strong start after defeating its opponent by a score of 3-2. They kept possession of the ball early on. Gurjit Kaur, however, remained vigilant on the Indian team’s defense, preventing the opposition from entering the circle.
India placed pressure on Australia A’s defense by earning three rapid penalty corners, and Navneet Kaur scored the opening goal with a reverse hit to give India the lead.
India began the second quarter by maintaining its forward motion from the backward line. But after a swift counterattack, Australia A managed to get a shot on goal, but the opposing captain Savita saved it.
Midway through the second quarter, Australia A earned their first penalty corner of the game, and Abigail scored on a dragflick to even the score. However, Ekka gave India the lead again a few minutes later with a dragflick of her own on a penalty corner.
At the beginning of the second half, Vandana Katariya constructed an attack from the left flank, earning India another fast penalty corner. However, Australia A’s defense was able to stop the threat this time.
Neha Goyal, who was in charge of the midfield, provided incisive runs for Indian attackers as Australia Pressure was felt by the defense. The third quarter came to an end with India still in the lead.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Vandana continued to pressure Australia A with a dribbling run inside the circle. Both teams displayed urgency as the clock approached the last 15 minutes.
Late penalty corner earned by India gave them another opportunity to take the lead. However, the Australian defense was able to save the corner kick to keep their team in the game. India maintained control in the waning seconds to prevent the hosts from seizing the initiative.
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