Ranchi, Jan 19 (IANS): Soorma Hockey Club return to the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Hockey Stadium to play their fourth match of the Women’s Hockey India League against Delhi SG Pipers on Monday. After that, Soorma will gear up again to take on Odisha Warriors on January 21.
In the last match against Delhi SG Pipers, in Rourkela, Soorma Hockey Club went down 2-0 courtesy of goals from Sangita Kumari and Deepika, marking their first loss in the league so far. Head coach Jude Menezes and his team are now eager to set the record straight in the return fixture against the Pipers.
“We knew they would come out to play as they had lost both their matches till then however, we didn’t play to our potential. In the first two games, we were happy with our performance, in the last match we didn’t start the first half well but we did well in the last two quarters. But at the end of the day, we have to score goals to win matches and that’s going to be the focus for the next match,” Jude explained.
After the clash with the Pipers, Soorma will have to face the Odisha Warriors. The last time around both teams played out a close match with Soorma Hockey Club clinching a 2-1 victory after goals from Hina Bano and Sonam. Odisha Warriors pulled a goal back through Freeke Moes but failed to change the outcome any further. This time too, Odisha Warriors will prove to be a tough opponent with star players like Neha, Baljeet Kaur, Yibbi Jansen and Freeke Moes playing in top form.
“It is always going to be a tough contest and as the League progresses there will be more tired bodies in the squad, so it is never going to be easy and we treat every team as a tough opponent. Composure and speed will always be crucial aspects in hockey, we get those two right we will be on the right side of the outcome more times than not. We had a good two days of recovery and we are in the best frame of mind to take on these two back-to-back matches,” the head coach added.
Halfway through the league phase, Soorma Hockey Club are placed on top of the table with six points from three matches.