Indian goalkeeper Savita displayed stunning skills in front of the goalpost as Indian Women’s hockey beat Chile in the final of the Women’s Hockey World League Round 2 at West Vancouver on Sunday.
“It was a very good match and we are happy with the way we played. Chile was a tough side to beat and we really had to keep ourselves motivated to keep pushing for a goal after they took an early lead," Indian skipper Rani said in a statement after winning the final.
The victory came following a thrilling shootout that India won by 3-1 to lift the shimmering trophy.
Maria Maldonado gave Chile a brisk start as she scored in the fifth minute to give them a 1-0 lead.
Indian defense, then, stood responsibly as India conceded no goal after that. In the third quarter, Anupa Barla struck an equaliser for India through a penalty corner. Both the teams were locked at level 1-1 at the end of regulation time.
In the shootout, Skipper Rani and Monika took India’s score to 2-0 with two successive goals.
Although Carolina Garcia scored in Chile’s third attempt, Deepika converted India’s third goal to seal the victory.
"It was a challenging tournament for us with difficult weather conditions as it rained on a few days but we are extremely thrilled that we are through to the World League Semi Final,” Rani added.