Goals Galore: Hockey Odisha Dominates Campaign Opener With A Thrilling Victory Against Manipur
Rourkela, June 30: The 13th Hockey India Junior Women’s National Championship is currently underway at the spectacular Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. The host state of Odisha began their campaign on Friday with a sensational victory against Hockey Manipur, defeating them 14-0. Ashima Rout (14’,20’,30’,37’,49’) and Prathiba Ekka (3’, 26 ,44’, 50’) were in sublime form leading the offence, scoring five and four goals, respectively. Odisha is pooled in Group C alongside Hockey Manipur and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu.
Prathiba Ekka (3’) opened the floodgates in the first quarter with an early goal, this was followed by Sandhya Kujur (7’,9’) finding the net twice in quick succession. Ashima Rout (14’) registered her first goal before the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw Ashima Rout (20’, 30’) score two more goals, along with Prathibha Ekka (26’) who scored her second of the night. In the third quarter, Ashima Rout (37’) etched her name on the scoresheet yet again before Maxima Toppo (39’) found the back of the net. Continuing the relentless assault on goal, skipper Mamita Oram (43’) and Prathiba Ekka (44’) scored as well, before the third quarter concluded. The final quarter saw three more goals for Odisha, as Ashima (49’) and Pratibha (50’) scored another goal each and Surekha Bahala (57’) chipped in with a goal minutes before full time.
Speaking on the significance of the victory, Head Coach, Edgar Joseph Mascarenhas reiterated the importance of beginning their campaign with a victory. He said, “It is very important that you get your points in the first game of a tournament. Especially since we are in the league phase, and we are only scheduled to play two games, this victory was crucial for us. The first goal we have set for ourselves if the quarterfinals, so this victory will ease the pressure on us in the next encounter.” He added that Hockey Manipur fielded a strong team, and Odisha put in a praiseworthy performance against them, “They are a good team, but I think we unsettled them early on and we kept up that momentum throughout the game.”
Skipper Mamita Oram shared some insight on team’s strategy that enabled the victory, “We know it was critical to maintain possession, I think we did that well tonight and we also did a good job of moving the ball around the field and amongst each other.”
Odisha will next be in action on July 3rd where they will take on Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, in their final group stage clash. A victory will almost cement their place in the quarterfinals.