Perth [Australia]: The Indian women’s hockey team displayed resilience but narrowly missed out on a win as they suffered a 2-3 defeat against Australia in the fourth game of their tour, held at the Perth Hockey Stadium on Saturday.
Navneet Kaur (35′) and Lalremsiami (59′) were on target for India, while Australia sealed victory with goals from Grace Stewart (2′), Jade Smith (36′), and Greta Hayes (42′) in a thrilling encounter.
Australia wasted no time, scoring in the second minute through Grace Stewart to gain a quick 1-0 advantage. Although India pressed hard in response, they couldn’t break through the Australian defence in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, India showcased strong defensive discipline. They thwarted an early penalty corner and then held off another set-piece effort late in the period to keep the score at 1-0 going into halftime.
The momentum shifted momentarily in the third quarter when Navneet Kaur converted a penalty corner in the 35th minute, levelling the match at 1-1. However, the parity was short-lived. Just a minute later, Jade Smith restored Australia’s lead with a well-executed field goal. Australia continued to apply pressure, and Greta Hayes extended the margin in the 42nd minute, giving the hosts a commanding 3-1 lead.
India showed grit in the final quarter. With Lalremsiami scoring in the 59th minute, India reduced the deficit to 2-3, but time ran out before they could mount a full comeback. Australia held firm in defence to clinch the win.
This match followed India’s 0-2 loss on Thursday in the third game of the tour. In that game, Courtney Schonell (9′) and Grace Stewart (52′) netted goals for Australia. While the earlier matches were against Australia A, this was India’s first official clash with the Australian national team during the tour.