Women’s HIL final: Rutuja Dadaso Pisal emerges unlikely hero as Odisha Warriors beat Soorma Hockey Club | Hockey News

Odisha Warriors had scored the most number of goals from penalty corners in the league phase, but in the final, they struggled to a) create those chances and b) convert them. Soorma Hockey Club had managed to score just one goal from PCs across six matches, but their equaliser on Sunday was through a drag flick. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, a player who had not scored a single goal in the pool stage, scored twice on the biggest night of the tournament. That the Odisha Warriors were crowned the champions of the inaugural Women’s Hockey India League doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise.But how they got there at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, wasn’t a script that many could have predicted.
And the hero, quite literally, came out of nowhere to be the star performer. In a match that featured Olympic champions and senior Indian professionals, Rutuja, who hails from the remote drict of Satara in Maharashtra, scored both goals that helped the Warriors prevail 2-1 in the championship decider. Soorma, for their part, probably played the better hockey for most of the match but an inspired performance Warriors’ Aussie goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram meant they ended up second best, losing a thrilling final.
“Today was Rutuja’s lucky day,” Warriors coach, and former India head coach, Janneke Schopman told reporters at the stadium after the win. “I am very happy for her. I have known her for a long time. She was in the junior program when I was coaching. She’s someone with a lot of energy and works hard for the team. She’s not always been lucky because she gets rushed in the end phase. But today, she was exactly where she needed to be, I was very happy with her performances throughout the tournament, and tonight she got her reward.”
Indeed, right place and right time. After a scrappy opening quarter, the match slowly sprang to life, and Rutuja opened the scoring for Warriors in the 20th minute. Latching onto a drilled long pass that looped into the circle, Rutuja was alert and the first to react, putting her stick out to send the ball arching over Savita Punia’s head. An opportunic finish, if ever there was one.
Then, late in the match, with just four minutes left on the clock, she found the winner too. Showing good stick work to control a bobbling ball down the right channel, and aware that an advantage was being played despite a mimed defensive tackle on her, she powered home a forehand drive through Savita’s pads. The Indian stalwart, who was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament, might look back at both goals on the night with a tinge of regret.
Could have gone either way
Soorma were left to rue the chances they missed especially at the start of the third quarter and Schopman was aware that the match could have gone either way, crediting Soorma for the pace and power with which they played. “In the first quarter, we were good and Savita kept them in the game. Then we were a bit unlucky with an injury to our defensive midfield, disrupting our structure. They were better than us, to be honest. We got back in the game, especially in the fourth quarter where I thought we regained a bit of control,” she said.
Night of joy for Schopman
Schopman, who suffered Olympic qualifiers heartbreak at the same venue a year back, was jumping for joy with her players and support staff as the final whle went. She left her role as India coach in tears, feeling disrespected. But at the HIL, from the auction process, Odisha made her feel welcome.
“I don’t look back much,” the former Olympic and World champion said when asked if she saw this as a redemption moment for her. “I came here because I like the franchise, the people, and that they focus exclusively on a women’s team. Odisha is close to my heart, the state cares a lot about hockey. If I could help bring some prizes to Odisha, it’s a big honor for me.”

It might not quite make up for missing out on a ticket to Paris, but Schopman stamped her coaching credentials on her return to the country.