Rourkela: JSW Soorma Hockey Club secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tamil Nadu Dragons in a third-place playoff in the Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 to claim the bronze medal and a prize of INR 1 crore at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium here on Saturday. Goals from Gurjant Singh (12’), Harjeet Singh (19’), and Prabhjot Singh (57’) sealed the win for Soorma, while Blake Govers (15’) and Jip Janssen (59’) found the net for the Dragons.
The opening quarter saw both teams start cautiously, focusing on ball control and quick passing. The Tamil Nadu Dragons had a chance to break the deadlock in the 10th minute with a penalty corner, but Jip Janssen’s shot went wide. Just two minutes later, JSW Soorma Hockey Club took the lead when Gurjant Singh (12’) received a pass from Jeremy Hayward and fired it into the net. Soon after, Soorma earned a penalty corner but couldn’t convert as Harmanpreet Singh’s attempt was deflected out.
In response, the Dragons launched a swift counter-attack, with Karthi Selvam weaving past defenders before delivering a perfect pass to Blake Govers (15’), who dived to his right and slotted the ball between Soorma goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch’s legs to equalise in the final moments of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Soorma regained the lead when Harjeet Singh (19’) was left unmarked in the circle and chipped a deflected pass from Gurjant over Dragons’ goalkeeper David Harte, making it 2-1. Shortly after, the Dragons conceded another penalty corner, but Harte made an excellent save against Hayward’s powerful shot aimed at the bottom right corner.
JSW Soorma maintained their attacking momentum, creating multiple circle penetrations to keep the pressure on the Dragons. In the final minute of the first half, Soorma won three consecutive penalty corners, but Harte’s brilliant goalkeeping and the Dragons’ solid defending kept them at bay, with the score remaining 2-1 at halftime in favour of Soorma.
Tamil Nadu Dragons came out all guns blazing in the third quarter determined to turn the match around, putting Soorma’s defense under constant pressure with their relentless attacks.
Meanwhile, JSW Soorma Hockey Club intensified their efforts and earned three penalty corners in quick succession but failed to capitalise on any of them. Despite the aggressive play from both sides, neither team could find the back of the net in the penultimate quarter, which ended goalless.
The fourth and final quarter was action-packed, with both teams making frequent circle entries and creating scoring opportunities. With just over five minutes remaining, JSW Soorma Hockey Club earned their eighth penalty corner, but once again, they couldn’t convert as Harmanpreet’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh.
Despite the missed opportunity, Soorma managed to extend their lead shortly after when Gurjant Singh made an excellent run, dribbling past defenders, and set up Prabhjot Singh (57’) for a simple finish, making it 3-1 in Soorma’s favour.
Late drama unfolded in the final minute as Tamil Nadu Dragons won a penalty corner, and Jip Janssen (59’) unleashed a powerful shot to cut the deficit to 3-2. However, that proved to be the last goal of the thrilling match, with Soorma securing a 3-2 victory.
(IANS)
