Perth: The India A hockey team suffered a humiliating defeat, losing 5-2 against Victoria in their first match of the second round of Men’s Australian Hockey League on Thursday. Chris Ciriello scored a hat-trick, while James Webster and Aaron Klienschmidt chipped in with a goal each to register the thumping win.
The very first minute of the match saw Victoria take the lead after James Webster scored just after kick-off. The opening goal put India into a threshold and the Australians kept on moulding up the pressure, preventing India from creating any close chance in the first quarter.
Three minutes into the second quarter, Australia made it 2-0 when Chris Ciriello scored from a well-taken penalty corner in the 18th minute. India failed to make the most of the very few opportunities that came their way, with the Victoria defence well upto the task keeping out the Indian attacks with ease.
It was only in the third quarter that India gained some momentum and started attacking. However, it came at the cost of coping three more goals through penalty corners. Aaron Klienschmidt, scored the first goal of the quarter in the 32nd minute through a penalty corner to make it 3-0. Matters got worse when another penalty corner was awarded just two minutes later as Ciriello scored his second of the match.
With 4-0 down, India earned a much needed penalty in the 40th minute and Rohidas calmly slotted the ball in, to score the opening goal of the day for the Indians. Another penalty corner was awarded just five minutes later, which saw Rohidas score his second of the match, to make it a respectable score of 4-2 with 15 minutes to go.
But then just when it looked like India were beginning to make a comeback into the match, Victoria’s Ciriello put the final nail in the coffin through another penalty corner of the night in the 49th minute, to complete his hat-trick.
India A tired with whatever they could but the home team held on as the match eventually ended 5-2 to Victoria.
India A will next play Queensland in their second match of Pool C on Friday.