The Indian junior women's hockey team confirmed its spot in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup by mauling Chinese Taipei 11-0 in its last pool match in Kakamigahara on Thursday. (More Hockey News)
The win also cemented India's position atop Pool A. India finished the group stage of the tournament unbeaten, having won three games and drawn one.
The scorers for India were Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke (1’), Deepika (3’), Annu (10’, 52’), Rutuja Dadaso Pisal (12’), Neelam (19’), Manju Chorsiya (33’), Sunelita Toppo (43’, 57’), Deepika Soreng (46’) and Mumtaz Khan (55’).
India displayed their dominance from the word go, launching consistent attacks against Chinese Taipei.
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Vaishnavi opened the scoring for India with a field goal, followed by Deepika, who converted a penalty corner to double the team's lead. Also, Annu and Rutuja scored a goal each before the end of the first quarter, giving India a comfortable 4-0 advantage.
The second quarter continued in a similar fashion, with India maintaining control of the game through ball possession and relentless attacks. Notably, Neelam found the back of the net, allowing India to enter half-time with a commanding 5-0 lead.
India continued their dominance as Manju and Toppo scored field goals to make sure that the third quarter ended with India leading 7-0.
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The Indian team showed no signs of slowing down in the final quarter, as Deepika Soreng, Annu, Mumtaz Khan and Toppo each scored a goal to help them win the match by a massive margin.
India will play Japan or Kazakhstan in the semifinal on Saturday.
