Bhopal, Oct 24 (IANS): Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy will take on Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy and Raja Karan Hockey Academy will face Namdhari XI in the semi-finals of the 1st Hockey India Junior Men Academy National Championship 2021 as the team stormed into the last-four stage here on Sunday.
In the first quarter-final, Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy scripted a thrilling 4-3 win in the shoot-out against SAI-Academy (Kolkata), following a hard-fought 2-2 draw in the regulation time. Despite holding a 2-0 lead with goals from Gursharanpreet Singh (29') and Savraj Singh (30'), Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy were pegged back by SAI-Academy (Kolkata) through goals from Manish Yadav (33') and Suresh Mahto (41') to force a 2-2 stalemate. Punjab goalkeeper Amritpal Singh made a remarkable save in the sudden death to help his team advance to the semi-finals of the inaugural edition of the tournament.
In the second quarter-final, Lovepreet Singh (4', 27', 48') scored a hat-trick as Raja Karan Hockey Academy, Karnal registered a clinical 7-1 win against Salute Hockey Academy to book their berth in the semis. Shubham (20', 44') bagged a brace while Agyapal (38') and Captain Sagar Saini (56') scored a goal each for Raja Karan Academy. Sumit (40') scored the only goal for Salute Hockey Academy and set up a last-four clash with Namdhari XI.
Namdhari XI held their nerves to register a thrilling 5-4 win in the shootout against SGPC Hockey Academy, following a dramatic 4-4 draw in the regulation time in the third quarter-final. Namdhari XI's goalscorers were Captain Rajinder Singh (22'), Harwinder Singh (24'), Akashdeep Singh (39'), and Shivam Rana (41'). Whereas for SGPC Hockey Academy, Onkar Singh (33', 47') netted twice, Ravneet Singh (19') and Roban Singh (40') scored a goal each. However, it was Namdhari XI who got the better of SGPC Hockey Academy in what was a topsy-turvy shootout.
In the fourth quarter-final, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy beat Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Jamshedpur by a dominating 5-1 margin. Himanshu Sanik (43', 44', 46') scored a fine hat-trick, while Shreyas Dhupe (33') and Rajat (40') scored a goal each to help Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy seal a spot in the semi-finals of the competition. Pardeep (35') scored the only goal for Naval Tata Hockey Academy- Jamshedpur.