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Yibbi Jansen scored a brace as Odisha Warriors beat Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers 4-1 in the Women's Hockey India League in Rourkela on Sunday.
Jansen struck in the 18th and 47th minutes while Michelle Fillet (16th) and Neha Goyal (58th) scored the other two goals for the Odisha side.
Udita (30th) scored the lone goal for Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.
The two sides had played out a 1-1 draw three days ago in Ranchi with the Odisha Warriors then winning the penalty shootout thanks to goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram's heroics.
Penalty shootouts were not required on Sunday night as the Warriors secured the win in style to move to the top of the points table with eight points.
The Tigers were the better side at the start of the first quarter as they made multiple circle penetrations. However, they were unable to test Bartram in the Odisha Warriors goal.
The first penalty corner of the match was awarded to the Tigers in the 14th minute. Udita's slap shot was deflected onto Ishika Chaudhary's body by a Tigers player and the umpire awarded them a penalty stroke.
The Warriors used their referral to reverse the decision as the ball had struck Chaudhary above her knee.
The Warriors opened the scoring with the first move of the second quarter. Jansen played a delightful pass from the halfway line to find Fillet whose shot was hit with so much power that it went past goalkeeper O'Hanlon before she could even react.
The Warriors kept up the pressure and won their first penalty corner in the 18th minute. Jansen found the bottom corner with a venomous drag-flick to double her side's lead.
The two goals gave the Warriors a significant boost as they made multiple circle penetrations through quick counter attacks. The Tigers managed to defend their goal well as they stayed in the match.
The Tigers won their second penalty corner of the match right as the hooter went off to mark the end of the half. Udita's slap shot took a deflection off a Warriors defender before creeping past Bartram into goal.
The third quarter was an evenly matched affair. The Tigers did most of the attacking as they tried to get back on level terms. It was credit to the Warriors defence that they went into the final quarter with their noses ahead.
The Warriors scored in the third minute of quarter to ease the pressure piled on them. Tigers goalkeeper Jennifer Rizzo deliberately played the ball behind the goalline to gift the Warriors a penalty corner. Jansen stepped up and delivered to restore her side's two-goal advantage.
Goyal sealed the victory for the Odisha Warriors in the 58th minute with a superb finish. Jansen once again found Fillet in the Warriors circle with an overhead pass. Fillet had all the time to find Neha in the circle and the Warriors captain was not going to miss from point blank range.
Later, in the men's event, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers made a thrilling comeback to beat Delhi SG Pipers in a shootout at the Hero Hockey India League on Sunday.
Trailing 1-4 at halftime, the Lancers fought back with goals from Alexander Hendrickx (13', 52'), Thierry Brinkman (35', 47'), and Angad Bir Singh (49') to level 5-5 in regulation.
They sealed the victory 3-2 in the shootout, extending the SG Pipers' winless streak.
The Pipers dominated early, with Tomas Domene (18', 20'), Corey Weyer (21'), Koji Yamasaki (23'), and Dilraj Singh (37') scoring in a stunning second-quarter blitz.
Domene's ferocious dragflicks and Yamasaki's historic strike, the first by a Japanese player in the league, gave the Pipers a commanding lead.
The Lancers began their fightback in the third quarter when Brinkman slotted into an unguarded net. Angad and Brinkman further narrowed the deficit before Hendrickx's 52nd-minute dragflick leveled the game.
A tense final eight minutes saw no winner, forcing a shootout.
In the shootout, Hendrickx's penalty stroke put the Lancers ahead 3-2, and Toby Reynolds-Cotterill's crucial save secured the victory, delighting the roaring home crowd.