Uttar Pradesh Wizards registered its first-ever victory against two-time champion Ranchi Rays in the Hockey India League (HIL) to not just stay alive in the competition but also leapfrog into third position at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium here on Thursday.
The host rode on field goals from Akashdeep Singh and Seve van Ass to win 4-0, taking its total to 20 points with three games in hand. Ranchi has just one more game, and with 18 points, is in a precarious situation in the race to the semifinals.
As has been the case right through the season, Ranchi created the chances, did the hard work and managed to keep possession for a major part but was let down by its forwards. That has been the story of the side so far and it was no different on Thursday.
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Manpreet Singh, Gurbaj Singh and Barry Middleton ensured the team did not lose the ball and kept sending passes into the striking circle, orchestrating moves all the way from the back to the front, only to see them go waste.
Birendra Lakra and Kothajit Singh tried to brave the UPW attacks and Tyler Lovell brought off some good saves but all of it mattered little.
Van Ass wrong-footed his marker Christopher Ruhr after receiving a long corner from Ajitesh Roy in the 37th minute to put the host ahead and Akashdeep struck a rasping reverse hit from the top of the circle 37 seconds from time to double the lead and end Ranchi’s hopes. But while Gurbaj and Manpreet tirelessly kept setting up chances, Ruhr and Co. failed to get the final shot in.
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Only two penalty corners
That there were only two penalty corners conceded throughout the match, both by Ranchi, highlighted both the preference for field goals by the teams in the HIL this season and the teams’ struggle with their conversion rates. Ranchi has been the hardest hit — of the 33 it has earned so far, only one has been converted as Ashley Jackson seemed to have lost his mojo.
On Thursday, the Englishman fluffed his passing and trapping as well, to add to Ranchi’s troubles. German striker Ruhr had a forgettable outing as well.
UPW, on the other hand, had Akashdeep Singh in fine form. He teamed up with Agustin Mazzilli to set up others and this proved the youngster’s growth as a team player before he got himself on the scoresheet.
The result: UP Wizards 4 (van Ass-FG, Akashdeep-FG) bt Rays 0 .