Two teams from Punjab to play semifinals today

Chandigarh, October 11

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RoundGlass Punjab Hockey Club Academy will face Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre in the opening semifinal match of the 1st Hockey India Sub-Junior Men Academy National Championship in Bhopal tomorrow.

In the second semifinal, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy will compete with SGPC Hockey Academy tomorrow. Two of the current top goal-scoring teams of the tournament, Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (43 goals) and RoundGlass Punjab Hockey Club Academy (29 goals), will square off against each other.

Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance coach Lakshmi Narayana Pitti expressed that their opponent RoundGlass Punjab Hockey Club Academy had a similar style of play, and it would be a challenging task to beat them in the semi-final.

“I think RoundGlass Punjab Hockey Club Academy have a similar style of play, and are almost the same team, equally confident, and it will be a challenging task for us to beat them. I am expecting a good game of hockey tomorrow from both teams. Boys have put up a solid performance so far, and I think it’s a great platform for them,” said Lakshmi Narayana Pitti.

RoundGlass Punjab Hockey Club Academy coach Balwinder Singh, while speaking about his team’s performance in the tournament, said: “The players selected in the team are new and are playing their first-ever tournament. I never tell my boys that how weak or strong your opponent will be, I tell them to focus on ourselves, our game, our structure because it’s about the mindset at the end, which will determine whether you will win or lose. It’s a great opportunity to showcase their talent on a national platform.”

SGPC Hockey Academy coach Prem Singh stated that the team was confident after showing character in quarterfinals win via shootout.

“I can’t deny the fact that they did mistakes in the quarterfinal, but it was great to see them bouncing back and winning the match. We are prepared for the semifinal,” said Prem. — TNS