Machaiah and Pavan N. struck once each in University of Agricultural Science’s narrow 2-1 win over Hampinagar Hockey Club in the State ‘C’ Division hockey tournament on Thursday. At the Karnataka State Hockey Association hockey stadium, it was a tough encounter where no quarters were asked and none given. The teams were evenly matched in terms of possession and attacks but UAS were slightly ahead when it came to finishing.
UAS left little room for imagination and jumped into the lead in the very second minute through Machaiah. Hampinagar refused to buckle down and fought back in search of the equaliser. Midway through the first session, Kenneth slammed found the much-needed equaliser for Hampinagar in the 26th minute.
Level 1-all, a recharged UAS launched a series of attacks and it paid off. Striker Pavan sounded the boards in the 49th minute to propel his team to victory. Earlier, Dunga struck thrice as Blue Star Hockey continued their winning run with a thumping 7-1 win over Rising Stars Hockey Club.
For Blue Star, Nikhil opened the account in the sixth minute. Four minutes later, Charan doubled the lead. In the ninth minute, Stephen sounded the boards for Rising Stars. At the other end, the scoring riot continued with star striker Dunga slotting in the 14th minute. He scored again in the 21st minute to make it 4-0.
Roshan also joined the party in the 37th minute while Dunga scored his third goal in the 45th minute. Roshan was on target again in the 47th minute to seal the fate of Rising Stars.
Results: University of Agricultural Science: 2 (Machaiah (2nd), Pavan N. (49th) bt Hampinagar Hockey Club: 1 (Kenneth 26th).
Blue Star Hockey Club: 7 (Nikhil 6, Charan 10, Dunga 14, 21, 45, Roshan 37, 47) bt Rising Stars Hockey Club: 1 (Stephen 9).