In the latest fixtures of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Bhubaneswar, China’s women’s hockey team secured their third victory, defeating the United States 3-1. China displayed disciplined play, capitalizing on turnovers, and dominated the match. Zou Meirong scored in the eighth minute, followed by Dan Wen’s goal before half-time. In the second half, Wen added another goal, securing China’s comfortable win. The USA’s Jacqueline Sumfest scored in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
Dan Wen, named Player of the Match, expressed her happiness about the challenging game, stating, “It was challenging for us against the Americans, and I was very happy we won that game. I am proud of the team; it was a great effort.”
In another match, Australia triumphed 3-0 against hosts India. Grace Stewart scored the first goal in the 19th minute, followed by Tatum Stewart’s drag flick off a penalty corner. Despite India’s efforts in the second half, the Hockeyroos held on to their lead. Kaitlin Nobbs scored the final goal in a one-on-one against the Indian goalkeeper. Tatum Stewart was awarded Player of the Match for her performance.
Reflecting on the victory against the hosts, Stewart said, “It’s always hard when you’re playing away from home and the home team has such an amazing crowd, but if there’s one thing our team is good at, it’s working hard and sticking together.”
The FIH introduced the Top Scorer Armband to celebrate leading goal-scorers. The current top scorers are Yibbi Jansen (NED) in the women’s category with 9 goals and Thierry Brinkman (NED), Tomas Domene (ARG), Sam Ward (GBR), Struan Walker (GBR), Terrance Pieters (2 goals) in the men’s category.
The FIH Hockey Pro League matches took place at Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India. In Match 13, China beat the United States 3-1, with Dan Wen named Player of the Match. In Match 14, Australia defeated India 3-0, and Tatum Stewart received the Player of the Match award.