The Semi-finals of the 8th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2018 (A Division) took place here today which saw Hockey Haryana and Hockey Jharkhand register victories in their respective matches to book a place in the Finals of the competition.In the first Semi-final, Hockey Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey 5-0. Hockey Haryana scored four goals in the first half to take a comprehensive lead. Deepika opened the account for the winners in the 3rd minute. Ninth minute Amrinder Kaur doubled the lead. Reet scored two goals through penalty corners in a space of five minutes for Hockey Haryana as the first half ended at 4-0. Skipper Navneet Kaur’s 43rd minute goal was the last of the match, the one that sealed the deal for her side at 5-0.In the second Semi-final, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha lost to Hockey Jharkhand 0-2. The winners dominated right from the start and were superior with their defence as they ensured Hockey Gangpur-Odisha scored no goal in the match. In-form Salima Tete, who recently took part in the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers in Bangkok where India finished second, scored the first goal for Hockey Jharkhand in the 17th minute. Pinkki Ekka scored the second goal in the 60th minute to ensure Hockey Jharkhand made the Final of the tournament.
