Odisha Warriors are inaugural Women’s Hockey India League winners

RANCHI: Last year, Janneke Schopman had departed from the city with a heavy heart after the Indian women’s hockey team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, but it was a happy homecoming for the Dutch coach on Sunday. She was over the moon as her team, Odisha Warriors, clinched the inaugural Women’s Hockey India League title at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Hockey Stadium here.
Rutuja Dadaso Pisal – bought at the auction for Rs. 4.9-lakh – scored both goals for the Warriors to help down Soorma Hockey Club 2-1 in front of a packed stadium.
After a cagey goalless first quarter, Rutuja put the Warriors in the lead with a 20th-minute opener. However, Soorma equalized eight minutes later through Penny Squibb with their second penalty corner of the night.
At the change of ends, both teams tried their heart out to score the winner and Soorma looked to come away with it when they won their third PC midway into the third quarter. But to their dismay, Charlotte Englebert’s deflection off Jyoti hit the framework and came back into play.

It would prove a costly miss, and the Warriors would eventually take the lead with Rutuja scoring the winner with four minutes left for the hooter. Sonika played the ball into the D from the left and it took a deflection and fell to Rutaja, who took a few steps before smashing it into the net through the Savita Punia’s legs.
Speaking once hostilities ended, an elated Schopman said, “I’m really happy that we could have done this. Very happy with the team. I think it could have gone either way today. I’m not saying we were the better team, but we were definitely up there with Soorma.”
The Dutch coach however rued not winning enough penalty corners on the night and she believes it has to do with their attacking. “I think my strategy for the auction might need to change a bit. I’m quite happy with the balance, but I think our attacking speed was lacking at times,” she admitted, “Soorma had more power. If we had more speed in the forward line, we would create more opportunities.”
Odisha had the first real chance of the game in the first quarter when Neha gave a backhand pass from the left to Rutaja, but she couldn’t hold on to it. However, the ball still headed for the goal, requiring Savita to pull off a brilliant save.
But they didn’t have to wait too long. The opener came five minutes into the second quarter. Victoria Sauze played the ball from just outside the 23m zone and it rose after taking a deflection off Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke’s stick as she tried to block it.
It was traveling fast but Rutuja instinctively stuck her stick out and deflected it towards the goal past Savita and scored her first goal of the tournament.
Soorma then upped the tempo and grabbed the equalizer as they converted from a PC. Squibb created an angle and played it into the bottom left corner past the first rusher and the goalkeeper.
It was a lovely strike, but the Warriors would have the last laugh, Rutuja’s winner handing them the title of the first champions of the women’s Hockey India League.