Rourkela (Odisha) [India], July 5 : Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are all set to clash in the Semi-Finals of the 13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2023 after winning their respective Quarter-final matches on Tuesday.
Madhya Pradesh defeated Maharashtra 9-0 in the first Quarter-Final match. Speaking about their undefeated campaign in the tournament so far, Coach Neha Rawat said, "It has been a really successful journey so far. The Semi-Final match against Hockey Haryana is going to be a really tight one as they are a very good side. Nevertheless, the team is in good shape and we are really confident to put up a good show tomorrow and win the match. We are constantly working on our weaknesses and we are going to put our best foot forward in the Semi-Final."
The defending champions Haryana defeated Hockey Punjab 4-2 in the second Quarter-Final match. Haryana has been one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament and is unbeaten so far.
"I am really proud of the team. We are looking to win the tournament the third time in a row and for that, we have to win the match against Madhya Pradesh which is a very good side. We are not being overconfident and we will surely not take Madhya Pradesh lightly. They have shown an excellent display of skills throughout the tournament. It is going to be a very interesting match tomorrow. We are working on our shortcomings and will try to create and convert more penalty corners in order to clinch our spot in the finals," said Haryana's Coach Azad Malik.
Jharkhand advanced to the Semi-Finals of this prestigious tournament after defeating Mizoram 0-0 (3-2 SO) in the third Quarter-Final match. Jharkhand's Coach Himanshu Kumawat said, "We have regularly played good hockey throughout the tournament but it's going to be a fierce competition in the semi-final match against Chhattisgarh. We are backing our side and we are confident enough to give our opponent a tough fight. The team is excited to represent themselves on the field on Thursday".
In the last Quarter-Final match, Chhattisgarh defeated Odisha 3-3 (4-2 SO) to secure their place in the Semi-Finals. On confirming their spot in the Semi-Finals, Coach Amitabh Manikpuri stated, "We are thankful to the almighty for the journey so far. I have asked the players to play with a free mindset tomorrow against Jharkhand, treat the game as any regular game and not take any sort of undue pressure of the semi-finals. I am confident that the team is going to perform well on Thursday and will book a place in the Final."
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