The Indian women's hockey team continued their impressive run in the U18 Asia Cup with a commanding 3-1 win over Korea in their second Pool A encounter on Sunday.
Goals from Nousheen Naz, Shruti Kumari, and Kiran Ekka powered India to another convincing victory, following their successful start to the tournament against Malaysia. India got off to an excellent start and earned a penalty stroke in the opening quarter. Nousheen made no mistake from the spot in the fourth minute, calmly converting to give her side an early 1-0 advantage.
Also read: Sooryavanshi truly special, says Tendulkar
Maintaining control of the game, India dominated possession and extended their lead in the second quarter. Shruti doubled the advantage in the 21st minute with a well-taken field goal, helping India take a comfortable 2-0 lead into the half-time break.
Korea showed greater intent after the restart and managed to pull one back in the third quarter. Gyeongmin Ryu found the target in the 41st minute to reduce the deficit and briefly raise hopes of a comeback.
However, India responded swiftly and regained their two-goal cushion just two minutes later. Kiran Ekka, who was later named Player of the Match, successfully converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute to make it 3-1. The Indian defence remained solid throughout the final quarter, keeping Korea at bay and preventing any further scoring opportunities to secure a well-deserved victory.
India earned a total of four penalty corners and one penalty stroke during the contest, while Korea managed to win two penalty corners. With back-to-back victories over Malaysia and Korea, India now lead the Pool A standings with six points. They will aim to continue their unbeaten run when they take on Singapore in their final Pool A match on June 2.
Follow us
