The Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team gets ready to face Japan in the semifinal of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday, with the winning side advancing to the tournament’s final and also confirming its berth in the upcoming FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2023.
India confirmed its place in the semifinals with a resounding 11-0 victory over Chinese Taipei on Thursday. The impressive victory also meant that India finished the tournament’s group stage unbeaten and topped Pool A.
The top three teams in the Women’s Junior Asia Cup will earn automatic qualification to the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2023, which will be held in Santiago, Chile, from November 29 to December 10.
Ahead of the crucial match, captain Preeti expressed confidence in the team and said, “As one of the leading teams in Asia, it is crucial for us to excel in the Junior Men’s Asia Cup. Our performance thus far has been commendable, and we aim to maintain this momentum going into the semifinals.”
“Also, we are aiming to qualify for the FIH Junior Hockey Women’s World Cup 2023 and we are just one win away from accomplishing it, hence, the team will give its all in the semifinal against Japan,” she added.
India dominated its group-stage matches and remained unbeaten in the tournament. Starting its campaign, India thrashed Uzbekistan 22-0 and followed that with a 2-1 win over Malaysia. In a thrilling encounter against Korea, it secured a 2-2 draw. In its final group game, India pummeled 11 goals against Chinese Taipei.
Japan, too, demonstrated strong form throughout the tournament, with victories against Hong Kong (23-0) and Indonesia (21-0). Despite a 0-1 loss to China, they bounced back to defeat Kazakhstan 8-0, securing the second spot in Pool B.
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