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JSW Soorma Hockey Club returned to winning ways with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Delhi SG Pipers in the Women's Hockey India League in Ranchi on Monday.
Charlotte Englebert (6th) and Sonam (9th, 10th) gave Soorma a comfortable lead in the first quarter. Charlotte Stapenhorst (36th) extended the lead in the third quarter.
Sangita Kumari (38th) pulled a goal back for Delhi SG Pipers. But Penny Squibb (60th) found the back of the net in the last minute of the match to round off a five star performance for Soorma.
Soorma started strong, pressing the Pipers deep into their half. Their early pressure paid off when Maria Verschoor set up Englebert on the left wing, who bypassed Bichu Devi Kharibam in goal with a low reverse sweep to open the scoring.
Shortly after that, Englebert and Stapenhorst unleashed a flurry of shots.
A save by Bichu fell to Sonam, who bundled the ball over the line to double Soorma's lead.
In the very next minute, Englebert dodged past defenders around the circle and picked out Stapenhost, who lobbed the ball across goal and Sonam was alert to touch the ball in and make it 3-0 for Soorma in the first quarter.
The onslaught on the Pipers' goal continued in the second quarter with Englebert and Stapenhorst combining to unleash a couple of attempts on goal.
The Pipers found some rhythm, with Preeti Dubey making a run into the circle and lifting the ball across the goal, but no teammate could connect.
Verschoor and Englebert controlled the midfield, generating more opportunities for Soorma, but Bichu and the Pipers' defence held firm to prevent further damage.
The Pipers employed aerial passes to bypass the Soorma press as the third quarter began and found Sangita on the baseline but she was shut down quickly by goalkeeper Savita Punia.
The game became more end-to-end with the Pipers committing more players forward, but five minutes into the quarter, Englebert pinched the ball from the Pipers and unloaded to Stapenhorst, who lifted the ball past Elodie Picard to make it 4-0.
The Pipers were quick to respond as Navneet Kaur found Sangita high up the pitch and without any defender in front of her, she rocketed the ball past Savita Punia to score their first goal.
With five minutes left, the Pipers earned a penalty corner but Lily Owsley was unable to deflect Deepika's effort towards goal.
Soorma showcased impressive defensive play to keep the ball out of goal and earned a penalty corner of their own in the last minute and Penny Squibb picked out the top left corner to secure 5-1 victory.