HIL 2016 – Turner damns Uttar Pradesh to third defeat in a row
Kalinga Lancers
|Image Courtesy: Hockey India League - Facebook
It seems Uttar Pradesh have used up all their good fortune in their opening game of the campaign, when they scored two goals in the dying moments to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat against Kalinga Lancers. Since then, they have ended up on the losing side in all their three games, as today Kalinga avenged their 6-8 heartbreak in the opening game, by thrashing UP 10-2 in Lucknow.
UP Warriors won a penalty stroke in the 13th minute of the first quarter when Aran Zalewski made a professional foul on Australian forward Jamie Dwyer, who was about to unleash a shot from inside the shooting circle. Gonzalo Peillat made no mistake in converting from the spot, to give UP a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Kalinga Lancers equalized in the fourth minute of the second quarter, when Zalewski made up for his earlier mistake and found the back of the net. The goal arrived after a patient buildup play from the away side, before the ball reached Pradeep Mor on the right wing. The Indian defender drilled in a low ball into the circle, and Zalewski dived in with his stick to turn it into the goal, and make it 2-2.
Just moments later, Kalinga came close to taking the lead, when Quirijn Caspers struck the post.
In the 13th minute of the third quarter, Glenn Turner gave Kalinga the lead for the first time in the game, by scoring his eighth field goal of the season. The move was once again crafted down Kalinga's right wing, with Zalewski being at the heart of it. The ball was drilled in from the wing, and Turner was at hand to turn it in, and take Kalinga 4-2 into the lead.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, who missed a chance just few minutes ago, doubled Kaling'a lead. This time the goal was created down the left side of the shooting circle. SK Uthappa wriggled his way through a couple of defenders, before picking out Lalit inside the circle. The Indian forward was afforded the time to trap, aim and strike the ball past a helpless PR Sreejesh.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Sreejesh was again left exposed at the back, as UP Wizards threw bodies forward in search of a goal. The Indian goalkeeper bundled into Moritz Fuerste inside the circle, while trying to close him down, and a penalty stroke was awarded to Kalinga. Turner turned up for the penalty stroke, and flicked it past Sreejesh to provide Kalinga an almost unassailable 8-2 lead, with just 13 minutes to play.
Right at the end, with 20 seconds remaining on clock, Dharamvir Singh scored Kalinga's 10th goal, after Lalit teed him up in the circle. Incredibly, that was the 23rd goal UP Warriors have conceded in their four games so far!
