Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, MP Advance To Junior Women's Hockey Semis

Jharkhand secured a semifinal berth after a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory against Odisha.

Haryana defeated Chandigarh 3-1 in their quarterfinal match to advance.

Chhattisgarh crushed Uttar Pradesh with a dominant 5-2 win, sealing their spot in the final four.

Madhya Pradesh overcame Manipur 3-1, with Kajal scoring two crucial goals.

The upcoming semifinals will feature Jharkhand against Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana facing Chhattisgarh.

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh on Thursday sealed their berths in the Division A semifinals of the Junior Women National Hockey Championship in Pune.

Jharkhand's Shootout Triumph : Jharkhand recorded a hard-fought 4-3 shootout victory over Odisha after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

While Odisha took lead through Lugun Anjulata in the 24th minute, Jharkhand responded after the half-time break, with captain Rajni Kerketta equalising in the 33rd minute.

In the shootout, Salomi Nag, Anupriya Soreng, Switi Dungdung and Rajni Kerketta converted their chances for Jharkhand, while goalkeeper Gangi Barla stood tall.

 

Haryana And Chhattisgarh Dominate : Haryana defeated Chandigarh 3-1 in the second quarterfinal. Durga opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Diksha doubled Haryana's advantage in the 19th minute. Chandigarh pulled one back through Apram in the 39th minute, but Haryana restored their two-goal lead through Kaur Sukhpreet in the 59th minute.

Chhattisgarh crushed Uttar Pradesh 5-2 to seal a final four berth. Yashoda gave Chhattisgarh an early lead in the ninth minute, before captain Rukhamani doubled the advantage in the 19th.

Anjli Ekka added another in the 24th minute. UP responded through Sonkar Payal in the 22nd minute and Annu in the 33rd to keep the contest alive.

However, Chhattisgarh continued to press forward, with Yashoda scoring her second goal in the 37th minute and Yadav Sheetal completing the scoring in the 44th minute.

Madhya Pradesh Secures Spot : In their quarterfinal, MP got the better of Manipur 3-1 with Kajal (25th and 43rd) and Tanvi (37th) scoring the goals while captain Chanu Romita Waribam (44th) pulled one back for her side.

Jharkhand will take on Madhya Pradesh while Haryana will face Chhattisgarh in the semifinals.