India bags 9th place at FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2023
In an exciting conclusion to their FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2023 journey, the Indian women's squad faced off against the USA. The contest took place in Santiago, Chile on December 10th and put an end to India's campaign in the tournament with a 9th-place finish.
As the match progressed, the first quarter witnessed the skilled Manju Chorsiya as the proponent. She pushed her team into the lead in the 11th minute, scoring the first goal of the match. As both teams advanced to halftime, the score was tied at 1-1 as Kiersten Thomassey brought her team back into the game.
Entering the third quarter, the match only intensified as the score remained deadlocked at 1-1. Kiersten once again pushed her limits to leave India trailing 1-2; however, as the game progressed to full time, the scoreboard showed a 2-2 tie.
Sunelita stepped up this time to score India's important second goal. Nevertheless, the tension only escalated as the game entered into a penalty shootout.
With sheer determination, the Indian women secured a well-fought victory and ended ninth in the prestigious FIH Hockey tournament. With the penalty shootout, the closing scoreline was a 3-2 win for India, courtesy of Madhuri Kindo.
Kiersten Thomassey was the USA's only goal-scorer versus India in FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup match
It is pertinent to mention that Kiersten Thomassey from the United States was the only goal scorer for her side. Despite her efforts, the girls in Indian jersey remained a step ahead on the field to bag a 9th-place finish in the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup Chile 2023.
Fans believe it could have been more worthy of praise if they had won before entering the penalty shootout. Also, a large portion of hockey enthusiasts expected a better position than 9th for the women's team.
Earlier, India displayed an impressive performance against Korea in the 9th-12th place classification match in the tournament.