Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], January 27 : Odisha Warriors made history by defeating JSW Soorma Hockey Club to lift the inaugural Women's Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 trophy in front of a packed crowd at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Hockey Stadium on January 26.
The final was evenly contested, with the score tied 1-1 as it entered the last quarter. After three quarters of intense action, with just five minutes left on the clock, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal (20', 56') fired a shot past Soorma's Savita Punia to secure the Warriors' victory on the big night.
Odisha Warriors' captain, Neha, was elated with the win and expressed her joy, saying, "I am extremely happy, the girls have worked extremely hard. We had been waiting for a women's HIL and now it has finally happened. Winning the first trophy has just added to our joy," as quoted from the official website of HIL.
Regarding the team's strategy in the final, Neha said, "We knew that Soorma is a strong team with speedy players. Our strategy was to maintain a close marking and that is what we did. Penalty corners was our strength so our plan was to attack as a team and win as many PCs as we can but surprisingly both our goals were field goals so that was very impressive."
The Warriors finished the league stage in second place with 13 points, two points behind the table-toppers Soorma. Star dragflicker Yibbi Jansen, who was the league's joint top-scorer, converted five penalty corners and was the standout player for the Warriors.
Reflecting on the entire tournament, Neha said,"The atmosphere here was amazing. The fans gave us a lot of support and what I loved was the supporters were cheering for all teams, which makes hockey the real winner here," as quoted on the official HIL website.
"We have learned a lot from this league, a lot of young players have gained much-needed exposure. In India we play skill-based hockey but across the globe hockey is very fast. With this tournament, playing with and against foreign players, we have learned how to match their pace and play a different brand of hockey. This will surely help us in the international tournaments coming ahead," Neha concluded.