RANCHI, May 4: Haryana and Madhya Pradesh beat Bengal and Maharashtra respectively at the National Women’s Hockey League 2024 (Phase 1) here on Saturday.
While Haryana defeated Bengal 4-3 in a thriller to register their third consecutive win, Madhya Pradesh got the better of Maharashtra 2-1 in another match.
In the opening match of the day, Bengal was off the blocks and running in no time with Silbiya Nag (2nd minute) converting a penalty corner early in the game.
Selestina Horo (19th) then doubled their lead with a penalty corner conversion in the second quarter.
Haryana captain Neelam (20th) quickly retaliated with a penalty corner conversion to reduce the deficit as Bengal led 2-1 at halftime.
Nandni (41st) converted another penalty corner for Haryana to level the scores before Shashi Khasa (43rd) converted yet another penalty corner to help Haryana take the lead.
Pinki (46th) scored a field goal early in the final quarter to take Haryana to a 4-2 lead.
Shanti Horo (51st) scored a field goal for Bengal to create a possibility of a comeback but Haryana held onto their lead to emerge winners.
In the day’s second showdown, Madhya Pradesh defeated Maharashtra 2-1.
After a quiet first half without any goals, Madhya Pradesh broke the deadlock late in the third quarter with a field goal from Aanchal Sahu (45th) to take the lead.
Maharashtra captain Ashwini Kolekar (50th) scored a field goal in just under five minutes into the final quarter to level the scores.
However, Swati (54th) put Madhya Pradesh back in the lead with a field goal.
Thereafter, Madhya Pradesh played a tight defence game to retain their one-goal lead.
Later in the day, Mizoram will take on Manipur, while Jharkhand will lock horns with Odisha. (PTI)