RANCHI: Last year,

Janneke Schopman

had departed from the city with a heavy heart after the Indian women’s

hockey

team failed to qualify for Paris Olympics.
It was a happy homecoming for the Dutch coach on Sunday. She was over the moon, as her team

Odisha Warriors

clinched the inaugural Women’s

Hockey India League

title at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Hockey Stadium here.
Rutuja Dadaso Pisal scored both goals for the Warriors to help beat a feisty Soorma Hockey Club 2-1 in front of a packed stadium. After a cagey goalless first quarter, Rutuja put the Warriors in the lead with a 20th minute opener.

However, Soorma equalized eight minutes later through Penny Squibb with their second penalty corner of the night. At the change of ends, both teams tried their level best to score the winner.
Soorma looked like getting the bet- ter of the exchanges when they won their third PC mid- way into the third quarter. But to their utter dismay, Charlotte Englebert’s deflection off Jyoti hit the framework and came back into play.
It would prove to be a costly miss, as the Warriors eventually took the lead with Rutuja scoring the winner with four minutes left.
Sonika played the ball into the D from the left, and it took a deflection and fell to Rutuja, who took a few steps before smashing it into the net through Savita Punia’s legs.