Rourkela, Odisha 05th July 2023: Hockey Haryana, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh Hockey booked their place in the Semi-Finals of the 13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2023 after winning their respective Quarter-final matches on Tuesday.
Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Maharashtra 9-0 in the first Quarter-Final match. Speaking about their undefeated campaign in the tournament so far, Coach Neha Rawat said, “It has been a really successful journey so far. The Semi-Final match against Hockey Haryana is going to be a really tight one as they are a very good side. Nevertheless, the team is in good shape and we are really confident to put up a good show tomorrow and win the match. We are constantly working on our weaknesses and we are going to put our best foot forward in the Semi-Final.”
The defending champions Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Punjab 4-2 in the second Quarter-Final match. Hockey Haryana has been one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament and are unbeaten so far.
“I am really proud of the team. We are looking to win the tournament third time in a row and for that, we have to win the match against Hockey Madhya Pradesh which is a very good side. We are not being overconfident and we will surely not take Hockey Madhya Pradesh lightly. They have shown an excellent display of skills throughout the tournament. It is going to be a very interesting match tomorrow. We are working on our shortcomings and will try to create and convert more penalty corners in order to clinch our spot in the finals,” said Hockey Haryana’s Coach Azad Malik.
Hockey Jharkhand advanced to the Semi-Finals of this prestigious tournament after defeating Hockey Mizoram 0-0 (3-2 SO) in the third Quarter-Final match. Hockey Jharkhand Coach Himanshu Kumawat said, “We have regularly played good hockey throughout the tournament but it’s going to be a fierce competition in the semi-final match against Chhattisgarh Hockey. We are backing our side and we are confident enough to give our opponent a tough fight. The team is excited to represent themselves on the field on Thursday”.
In the last Quarter-Final match, Chhattisgarh Hockey defeated the Hockey Association of Odisha 3-3 (4-2 SO) to secure their place in the Semi-Finals. On confirming their spot in the Semi-Finals Coach Amitabh Manikpuri stated, “We are thankful to the almighty for the journey so far. I have asked the players to play with a free mindset tomorrow against Hockey Jharkhand, treat the game as any regular game and not take any sort of undue pressure of the semi-finals. I am confident that the team is going to perform well on Thursday and will book a place in the Final.”
~Hockey Haryana will face Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the first Semi-Final~
~Hockey Jharkhand will take on Chhattisgarh Hockey in the second Semi-Final~
Semi-Final Line-ups:
Semi-Final 1: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Madhya Pradesh – 1830 HRS
Semi-Final 2: Jharkhand Hockey vs Chhattisgarh Hockey – 2030 HRS
Both the matches will be played on 05th July 2023, Thursday at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha.
HOCKEY INDIA TEAM PARTNERS
Odisha (India’s Best Kept Secret) – Major Team Partner
Sports Authority of India (SAI)
Shiv Naresh
About HOCKEY INDIA
HOCKEY INDIA (HI) is the governing body with exclusive mandate to direct and conduct all activities for both men and women’s hockey in India. It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India as the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India.
Headquartered in New Delhi, Hockey India was established on 20th May, 2009 and is affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).
Committed to the development of Hockey in the country, Hockey India with the assistance of Sports Authority of India and Department of Sports, Government of India, trains players at sub-junior, junior and senior level. The governing body engages in Coaching the coaches with International Standard certification programs, educates and equips technical officials and umpires to find a foothold in international arena, provides world-class infrastructure and International exposure for the players besides regular international competition. Hockey India has also pioneered in bringing top International hockey events to India such as the FIH Men’s World Cup in 2010 and 2018, FIH Champions Trophy in 2014, FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in 2016 and 2021, FIH Hockey World League Final in 2017. With its vision to popularize the game and constantly promote it, Hockey India brought the Indian Men’s Hockey Team into the top three in the world. Hockey India is also dedicated to getting the Indian Women’s Hockey Team into the top three in the world.
About ODISHA
Odisha – the Eastern State of India – is known for its love for Hockey and over the years it has evolved to be the Global Hub of Hockey. The State successfully hosted the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, followed by the FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha, FIH Olympic Qualifiers Odisha, and FIH Hockey Pro League 2020-21. Odisha has previously hosted the Champions Trophy 2014 and the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017. Odisha also hosted the FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup in 2021.
Kalinga Lancers, the team owned by the State, were the winners in the Hockey India League 2017. Taking a step further towards realising the dream of restoring the glory of Indian Hockey at the global level, the State is sponsoring the Indian Hockey Teams till 2033.
Odisha also hosted the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023
