Canberra, Oct 2 (IANS): The Indian junior women’s hockey team narrowly lost 4-5 to Canberra Chill in their final match on the Australia Tour at the National Hockey Centre, Canberra. For India, goals were scored by Sukhveer Kaur (6′), Kanika Siwach (42′), Sunelita Toppo (54′), and Ishika (57′), while Canberra Chill’s scorers included Canhess Lauren Yee (12′, 19′), Canhess Josie Lawton (24′), Hunter Baldwin (28′), and Amukawton (34′) goalscorers.

India opened the scoring with a penalty corner goal from Sukhveer Kaur in the sixth minute. Soon after, Canhess Lauren Yee scored two consecutive field goals in the 12th and 19th minutes, giving her team the lead.

Canberra Chill further extended their advantage with field goals from Canhess Josie Lawton and Hunter Baldwin in the 24th and 28th minutes of the second quarter. In the third quarter, Canberra Chill added their fifth and final goal at the 34th minute, scored via a penalty corner by Amukawton.

For India, Kanika Siwach scored a penalty corner in the 42nd minute as the visitors tried to recover in the game. In the final quarter, Sunelita Toppo and Ishika also scored through penalty corners in the 54th and 57th minutes, respectively, but they couldn’t score the equaliser in time and ended up suffering an unfortunate loss to finish their tour of Australia.

Led by captain Jyoti Singh, the team took part in key matches in Australia to gear up for the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2025, scheduled for December in Santiago, Chile.

Team India, who had two wins and as many losses in Australia so far, finished their campaign with a loss in their final tour match against Canberra Chill on October 2.

The team was led on this tour of Australia by captain Jyoti Singh and coach Tushar Khandker. It was a crucial set of matches in terms of India’s preparations for the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2025 to be played in December in Santiago, Chile. The tour is expected to provide valuable exposure to the young Indian squad, allowing the players to test their skills in international conditions against strong teams. The team went on a similar tour of Europe back in June, where it faced Belgium, Australia, and the Netherlands over five matches. India showed prowess as they defeated Belgium three games in a row, followed by a win against Australia and a bitter shootout loss against the Netherlands.

— IANS

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