SAI Sonipat first team to seal knockout berth with dominant win

Jalandhar (Punjab)[India], September 21 (ANI): Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence, Sonipat became the first team to qualify for the knockout phase of the second edition of the Punjab Hockey League (U 21) with a commanding 9-1 victory over Ghumanhera Risers Hockey Academy, which was played here at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium.
With the win, SAI Sonipat now have 33 points from 12 matches, consolidating their position in the knockout phase, while Roundglass Hockey Academy stayed in second place with 29 points after edging past PIS Surjit Hockey Academy earlier in the day to keep their pursuit of top spot alive.
SAI Sonipat wasted no time asserting its dominance over the last-placed Ghumanhera Risers Hockey Academy, with Ankush opening the scoring in the 4th minute and Sunit doubling the lead by the end of the first quarter. Srijan Yadav struck twice in quick succession in the second quarter to take the scoreline to 4-0 at halftime. Ankush converted a penalty corner early in the third quarter to make it 5-0 before Kunal Singh Chhikara pulled one back for Ghumanhera in the 33rd minute. But SAI Sonipat, through the stick of Neeraj, restored the cushion just before the quarter break, and in the final phase, Sunil, Nitin, and Neeraj (with his second of the game) sealed a resounding 9-1 win that confirmed their spot in the knockout phase of the PHL.
Roundglass Hockey Academy, meanwhile, kept their pursuit of top spot alive with a 3-2 victory over PIS Surjit Hockey Academy, thanks to a captain's hat trick from Gursewak Singh. He struck first in the 14th minute, but PIS responded through Abhishek Gorkhi in the 18th and then took the lead via Harmolbir Singh in the 36th minute. RGHA turned the game on its head in the final quarter with two quick goals from Gursewak to secure the win and stay second with 29 points, while PIS Surjit remained fourth with 16.
In the first match of the day, SGPC Hockey Academy, Amritsar, edged past SDAT Hockey Academy 3-2 in a tense encounter. Diljeet Singh opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with Harmanreet and Sukhveer extending the lead to 3-0. SDAT fought back late through S. Krishnan and K. Gowtham, but SGPC held on to claim three vital points and climb to fifth with 14 points.
Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Jamshedpur, overcame Namdhari Hockey Academy 4-3 in a thriller to keep their knockout hopes alive. Namdhari captain Yuvraj Singh scored a brilliant hat trick, but it wasn't enough as Ashish Tani Purti struck twice in the third quarter, followed by goals from Patras Hassa and Tintus Hemrom in the fourth to seal the win. With this result, Naval Tata consolidated their third position in the table.
Punjab Hockey League is organised jointly by Roundglass Hockey Academy and Hockey Punjab, aiming to provide extensive match exposure to players from the grassroots level and contribute meaningfully to their professional and personal development.
Monday's Matches
SDAT Hockey Academy vs Roundglass Hockey Academy - 9 AM
SGPC Hockey Academy vs Naval Tata Hockey Academy - 11 AM
PIS Surjit Hockey Academy vs Ghumanhera Risers Hockey Academy - 1 PM
Namdhari Hockey Academy vs SAI Sonipat - 3 PM. (ANI)