NOV 30, 2023 :The FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 campaign of the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team got off to a dominant start on Wednesday, opening the competition in Santiago, Chile, with a 12-0 victory over Canada. India’s goal scorers were Annu (4′, 6′, 39′), Dipi Monika Toppo (21′), Mumtaz Khan (26′, 41′, 54′, 60′), Deepika Soreng (34′, 50′, 54′), and Neelam (45′). Annu (4′, 6′) scored two goals through penalty corners to give India an early lead. India started the game offensively, applying constant pressure on Canada. India continued to press Canada despite having a two-goal lead and continued to play aggressively; nevertheless, they were unable to score further goals in the first quarter, as the game finished 2-0 in their favour. India maintained their lead in the second quarter by maintaining the momentum from the first. They held the ball and kept breaking through the circle, which allowed Mumtaz Khan (26′) and Dipi Monika Toppo (21′) to each score a field goal, increasing India’s lead even more. Canada was awarded a penalty corner in the interim, but they were unable to capitalise on it.The Indian squad had a comfortable 4-0 lead at the end of the second quarter. Even with a sizable lead, the Indian team did not show any signs of faltering in the third quarter, continuing to control the game. Annu (39′) completed her hat-trick after Deepika Soreng (34′) converted a penalty corner, and Mumtaz Khan (41′) scored her second goal of the game. At the conclusion of the penultimate quarter, Neelam (45′) also made it 8-0 for India with her effort from a penalty corner.With goals by Mumtaz Khan (54′, 60′) and Deepika Soreng (50′, 54′), the Indian team’s goal-scoring prowess continued into the fourth quarter, culminating in both players’ hat-tricks and a 12-0 victory for India. In their second tournament match, India and Germany will square off on December 1 at 1:00 IST.
