Harpal Singh Bedi
Trailing 0-2 till the 42nd minute, India fought back superbly to hold Korea to a 2-2 draw and salvage a point in their third match of the Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan on Tuesday.
Yujin Lee (15′) and Jiyon Choi (30′) found the back of the net for Korea, while Deepika Soreng (43′) and Deepika (54′) scored a goal each, enabling India to maintain their position at the top of Pool A..
Koreans opened the game on the attacking note and dominated India in the first quarter, controlling the majority of possession and repeatedly testing the defence. Korea won a couple of penalty corners in the first quarter but failed to capitalise but were able to take the lead when Yujin Lee (15′) scored a goal through a well-placed shot from inside the D.
Korea entered the second quarter with an assertive approach and played a pressing game to dominate India. However, minutes before the half-time break, India settled into a passing rhythm to put pressure on Korea by counterattacking, but they were unable to find an equaliser.
Koreans shifted gears and started playing more aggressively which helped them double their lead as Jiyon Choi (30’) converted a penalty corner with absolute precision (2-0 ).
The third quarter began with Korea attacking again and winning an early penalty corner, which goalkeeper Aditi Maheshwari saved. India upped their game and began counterattacking, bisecting Korea’s backline, which paid off when Deepika Soreng (43′) scored a goal to pull one back for her side (1-2) .
Keen to hold on to their advantage, Korea focused on keeping possession of the ball in the fourth quarter, however, that didn’t stop India from drawing the parity as Deepika (54’) calmly converted a penalty stroke to level the score.
Confident after getting back in the game, the Indian team increased the frequency of their attacks but no more goals were scored in the final quarter as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
India next play against Chinese Taipei in their fourth and last Pool A game on 8th June