Auckland, June 23:
Indian women’s hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne has said his side must improve their field-goal conversion despite securing promotion back to the FIH Pro League by winning the Nations Cup.
India on Sunday defeated hosts New Zealand 2-0 with goals from Navneet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo to win their second Nations Cup title and secure promotion to the Pro League.
“Of course, we are delighted to win our first tournament and final together,” Marijne said after the match.
“It was crucial for us to learn how to win finals, especially after our recent heartbreak against England at the World Cup qualifier. The team improved with every match. We relied on a very strong and well-organised defence.”
“While we created enough opportunities to score more, that remains an area where we must keep working. Our penalty-corner conversion was very good throughout this tournament. If we can achieve a higher conversion rate for field goals, that will be fantastic.
He also acknowledged the challenge of carrying the tag of the highest-ranked side in the competition.
“It is never easy to win a tournament when you enter as the highest-ranked team. We showed that we can manage that pressure well.
“Moving forward, playing against the top teams in the world will provide an important learning process for our youngsters. Testing ourselves at the highest level is exactly what we need to grow to the next tier,” he added.
India remained unbeaten throughout their dominant campaign, defeating USA, Japan and Uruguay in the pool stage before ousting Chile in the semifinal.
Striker Lalremsiami secured the ‘Player of the Match’ award, while drag-flicker Deepika finished as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with six goals. She shared the honours with USA’s Ashley Sessa.
Hockey India announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.
Captain Salima Tete echoed coach Marijne’s sentiments and highlighted the intense preparation that went behind the victory.
“It feels absolutely amazing to lift this trophy. Our entire team worked incredibly hard for this moment. We entered this tournament with a clear mindset to bring the trophy home. Securing promotion back to the Pro League was extremely important for us. I am proud that we achieved our goal,” she said.
Salima said the title will serve as a big confidence booster for the team ahead of the upcoming World Cup in August.
“With the World Cup approaching, this victory provides a massive boost to our confidence. The team is playing with a very strong mindset right now. Every single match in this tournament was highly important for us. This win gives us the perfect momentum for our future preparations,” the skipper concluded.