The difference between Soorma Hockey Club and Kalinga Lancers at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Sunday was Vincent Vanasch. The Belgian put in a stellar performance in goal to help Soorma beat hosts Lancers 4-3 in their Hockey India League match in Rourkela.
Jeremy Hayward (11′), Nicolas della Torre (35′), Harmanpreet Singh (50`) and Harish Somappa (52′) all scored for Soorma while while Thierry Brinkman (5′), Sanjay (30′) and Gursahibjit Singh (50′) were on target for the Lancers.
The home side started strongly as they put pressure on the Soorma Hockey Club defence with multiple circle entries in the opening minutes. The Lancers deservedly took the lead in the fifth minute through Thierry Brinkman.
The Lancers broke on the counter through Enrique Gonzalez and Brinkmann showcasing his superb dribbling skills to ride the challenges of Harmanpreet and Della Torre before squeezing the ball past Vincent Vanasch.
Harmanpreet and Soorma got their first PC in the 10th minute but squandering it, along with the second soon after.
Soorma only needed to wait a minute more for their goal with Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Sanjay unable to fully block Hayward’s drag flick in the 11th minute.
The Lancers won a penalty corner right before the hooter went to mark the end of the first quarter and Sanjay was on the money with his drag flick to give his side the lead at the end of the quarter.
The Lancers had a golden opportunity to extend their lead in the 21st minute but were denied by Vanasch with Nicolas Bandurak only having the Belgian to beat. Soorma could have levelled the match once again but for some stunning defence from the Lancers.
However, it didn’t take long in the second half for Soorma to equalise with their fifth PC in the 35th minute and Della Torre fired his drag flick right into the top corner.
Vansach was once again at hand to save Hendrickx’s drag flick and keep out Antoine Kina’s attempt from the rebound in the 3rd quarter.
Harmanpreet finally opened his HIL account in the 50th minute to give Soorma the lead for the first time in the match with his drag flick.
The lead barely lasted a minute as the Lancers hit back through Gursahibjit Singh after a piercing move from Kina, dribbled past Harmanpreet in the circle.
There was barely any time for the fans to catch their breath before Soorma snatched the lead. Phil Roper danced past a couple of defenders before playing the ball towards the far post. Harish Somappa slid in to poke the ball into the empty goal to make it 4-3 for Soorma in the 52nd minute.
The Lancers won a pair of penalty corners but were undone by player-of-the-match Vanasch.
The difference between Soorma Hockey Club and Kalinga Lancers at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Sunday was Vincent Vanasch. The Belgian put in a stellar performance in goal to help Soorma beat hosts Lancers 4-3 in their Hockey India League match in Rourkela.
Jeremy Hayward (11′), Nicolas della Torre (35′), Harmanpreet Singh (50`) and Harish Somappa (52′) all scored for Soorma while while Thierry Brinkman (5′), Sanjay (30′) and Gursahibjit Singh (50′) were on target for the Lancers.
The home side started strongly as they put pressure on the Soorma Hockey Club defence with multiple circle entries in the opening minutes. The Lancers deservedly took the lead in the fifth minute through Thierry Brinkman.
The Lancers broke on the counter through Enrique Gonzalez and Brinkmann showcasing his superb dribbling skills to ride the challenges of Harmanpreet and Della Torre before squeezing the ball past Vincent Vanasch.
Harmanpreet and Soorma got their first PC in the 10th minute but squandering it, along with the second soon after.
Soorma only needed to wait a minute more for their goal with Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Sanjay unable to fully block Hayward’s drag flick in the 11th minute.
The Lancers won a penalty corner right before the hooter went to mark the end of the first quarter and Sanjay was on the money with his drag flick to give his side the lead at the end of the quarter.
The Lancers had a golden opportunity to extend their lead in the 21st minute but were denied by Vanasch with Nicolas Bandurak only having the Belgian to beat. Soorma could have levelled the match once again but for some stunning defence from the Lancers.
However, it didn’t take long in the second half for Soorma to equalise with their fifth PC in the 35th minute and Della Torre fired his drag flick right into the top corner.
Vansach was once again at hand to save Hendrickx’s drag flick and keep out Antoine Kina’s attempt from the rebound in the 3rd quarter.
Harmanpreet finally opened his HIL account in the 50th minute to give Soorma the lead for the first time in the match with his drag flick.
The lead barely lasted a minute as the Lancers hit back through Gursahibjit Singh after a piercing move from Kina, dribbled past Harmanpreet in the circle.
There was barely any time for the fans to catch their breath before Soorma snatched the lead. Phil Roper danced past a couple of defenders before playing the ball towards the far post. Harish Somappa slid in to poke the ball into the empty goal to make it 4-3 for Soorma in the 52nd minute.
The Lancers won a pair of penalty corners but were undone by player-of-the-match Vanasch.