Indian women's hockey team play draw with South Korea

The Indian women's hockey team played out a 1-1 draw against hosts South Korea in the last match of their five game series here at the Jinchun National Athletic Centre on Sunday.

Both the teams scored a goal each in the final quarter of the match which saw them locked at a goal apiece at the full-time whistle.

It was Vandana Katariya who found the net in the 48th minute for India but the visitors' joy was cut short when South Korea's Bomi Kim (50') scored an equaliser two minutes later.

The draw in the last match sees India end their impressive South Korea Tour with a 3-1 victory in the five-match series.

 

It was a very well matched first quarter in the match as both the teams looked to be patient and attack at the right time. Players from both the teams defended well to end the first quarter without a goal.

The second quarter saw the hosts create better chances going forward and the world No. 9 team made some attacking forays into the Indian striking circle.

South Korea's forwards earned themselves two penalty corners in the second quarter but Indian goalkeeper Rajani Etimarpu savds on both the occasions to deny the hosts of taking the lead in the match.

The Indian team came out after the half-time break with a rejuvenated spirit as they focused on quick and precise passing, and were threatening the hosts' defense on the counter as well.

It was in the 41st minute that the world No. 10 side were awarded their first penalty corner of the match, however South Korea's Mijin Han made a crucial save to deny the Indians as the scores remained locked at 0-0.

In the last quarter, both the teams looked to finish off the series on a good note .

In the 48th minute, a well-waited forward pass from skipper Rani was shot into the goal by Vandana Katariya to give India a crucial lead.

However, the lead could only last for more than two minutes as South Korea also displayed some crisp passing and scored a field goal in the 50th minute through Bomi Kim to equalise.