The Indian Women’s Hockey Team put up a valiant performance but narrowly lost 2-3 to Australia in the fourth match of their tour, held at the Perth Hockey Stadium on Saturday. Navneet Kaur (35’) and Lalremsiami (59’) were the goal-scorers for India, while Grace Stewart (2’), Jade Smith (36’), and Greta Hayes (42’) netted for the hosts in a tightly contested battle.
Australia drew first blood in the opening quarter, with Grace Stewart scoring in just the second minute. Despite India’s efforts to equalize in the remainder of the period, they trailed 0-1 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, India showed resilience in defence, denying Australia from two penalty corner opportunities and keeping the scoreline unchanged going into halftime.
India clawed their way back early in the third quarter, as Navneet Kaur converted a penalty corner in the 35th minute to bring parity. However, the celebration was short-lived with Jade Smith restoring Australia’s lead in the very next minute. Australia continued to press, earning two more penalty corners before Greta Hayes made it 3-1 in the 42nd minute.
India mounted a final push in the last quarter, and Lalremsiami’s 59th-minute goal gave them a glimmer of hope. But Australia managed to stave off the late surge to emerge victorious.
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