Ranchi: Haryana, Hockey Association of Odisha, Mizoram, and Jharkhand secured their spots in the semifinals of the 15th Hockey India Sub Junior Women National Championship 2025 with commanding performances and high-pressure finishes here on Friday. Haryana will take on Odisha, while Mizoram will lock horns with Jharkhand in the semifinals on Saturday.
The quarterfinals unfolded in dramatic fashion at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and the day featured intense competition.
In the first quarterfinal, Haryana edged out Uttar Pradesh 1-0 in a tightly-contested encounter. Manjinder (9’) scored the decisive goal early in the match. Despite several promising circle entries and as many as seven penalty corners, Uttar Pradesh failed to find an equaliser, thanks to Haryana’s resolute defence.
The second quarterfinal saw a dominant display from the Hockey Association of Odisha, who brushed aside the Hockey Association of Bihar with a 5-0 victory. Ashika Samad (10’) opened the scoring through a penalty corner, followed by field goals from Priyanka Minz (14’) and Eleena Burh (26’) in the first half.
The onslaught continued in the second half as Gita Lakra (33’) converted another penalty corner, and Sweety Kujur (37’) added a field goal to seal an emphatic win.
In the third quarterfinal, Mizoram comfortably beat Punjab 4-0. Mizoram captain Vanlalrinhlui led from the front with a brace (19’, 47’), while Lalruatsiami C (41’) and Lalvenpuii (57’) added one goal each to complete the rout and book Mizoram’s place in the Semi-Finals.
The fourth and final quarterfinal provided the most dramatic finish of the day as Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh played out a gripping 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Nousheen Naz (33’) put Madhya Pradesh in front, but Jharkhand’s Sugan Sanga (44’) responded by converting a penalty corner to level the scores. The deadlock persisted, sending the match into a tense shootout.
In the shootout, Jharkhand edged past Madhya Pradesh 5-4, with successful conversions from Ankita Lakra, Shruti Kumari, Sugan Sanga, Pushpa Manjhi, and Sewani Kerketta. Madhya Pradesh converted four of their five attempts through Nousheen Naz, Priyanshi Kshetre, Nammi Geethasri, and Keshar Bhabar, but a crucial miss by Tanvi proved costly.
With this, Haryana, Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Mizoram, and Hockey Jharkhand march into the semifinals, scheduled to take place on July 12.
(IANS)
