Bhubaneswar, Dec 25 (IANS): Hockey Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Hockey and Hockey Punjab registered crucial wins on the penultimate day of the Group Stage of the qualifiers of Khelo India Youth Games 2022 (Womens Under 18), here on Saturday.
The first match in Pool A saw Hockey Haryana beat Hockey Maharashtra 7-2. Pinki (14', 15', 31', 45') starred for Hockey Haryana, scoring four goals in the match. Manisha (30'), Bhateri (41'), and Gurmail Kaur (46') also scored a goal each to help their team extend their lead and win the match.
For Hockey Maharashtra, Utkarsha Nana Kale (4') and Sanika Mane (24') scored the two goals.
The second Pool A encounter of the day between Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Association of Odisha ended in a 2-2 draw. While Puja Sahoo (10', 49') scored a brace for Hockey Association of Odisha, Soniya Kumre (2') and Bhumiksha Sahu (48') scored the goals for Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the match.
The final Pool A match of the day between Hockey Mizoram and Hockey Karnataka also ended in a 2-2 draw. Hockey Mizoram's Vanlalhriatpuii (13', 44') scored a brace to hand her team the advantage but Gedela Gayatri (53') and Dechamma Ganapathi (57') scored two late goals for Hockey Karnataka to recuse a point from the game.
The first Pool B game of the day saw Uttar Pradesh Hockey take on Manipur Hockey. Ruchika Upadhyay (5'), Vandana Patel (17'), Peetambari Kumari (33'), and Sakshi Shukla (56') scored a goal each for Uttar Pradesh Hockey to help their team pick up a 4-1 win.
Keisam Devi (39') converted a penalty stroke to score the sole goal for Manipur Hockey in the match.
The second Pool B match of the day saw Hockey Punjab beat Hockey Bihar after a thrilling contest. Sukhveer Kaur (3', 41', 53', 60') starred in the match for Hockey Punjab scoring four goals while Jaisikdeep Kaur (24', 49', 51') also scored a hattrick. Daljeet Kaur (6', 10') and Namneet Kaur (28', 38') also contributed by scoring a brace each while Gurjeet Kaur (44') scored a goal as Hockey Punjab won the match 12-0.
The Pool B clash between Hockey Chandigarh and Hockey Jharkhand was forfeited in the favour of Hockey Jharkhand.