Soorma Hockey Club vs Odisha Warriors Highlights, Women’s Hockey India League 2025 Final: Rutuja Pisal stars as Odisha clinch title

Worth noting: Today in the Women's HIL final, Neha was the winning captain, and Nisha played for Odisha too. Sharmila and Jyoti played for Soorma HC. And Jyoti was player of the tournament. All four of them were trained by former India captain Pritam Siwach, in Sonepat. An amazing story that. And what's more? Kanika Siwach too was part of the Odisha team, her daughter. 

AROUND 13 years ago, Savitri Devi enrolled the youngest of her three daughters at a hockey academy in Haryana’s Sonepat so that she could escape the “toxic” atmosphere at home.

“My husband would get drunk, and become abusive and violent. Whenever he came home, my daughter used to shut her eyes, close both her ears with her fingers and hide behind me. That was no way to live. The hockey ground felt safer,” says Devi, who worked as a domestic help and at a cycle factory to feed her family.

Fairplay Award: Delhi SG Pipers 

Best Goalkeeper Award: Savita Punia of Soorma HC (that must feel bittersweet tonight for her...)

Best upcoming player of the tournament: Sonam Yadav of Soorma HC (4 goals to her name) 

Topscorer of the tournament: Joint award to Yibbi Jansen of Odisha Warriors and Charlotte Englebert of Soorma HC

Player of the tournament: Jyoti of Soorma HC (Rs 20 lakh)

RUTUJA AND ODISHA'S WINNING MOMENT! 

Rutuja Pisal gives Odisha Warriors’ the lead again with her second goal of the night! Well, the winning goal surely has to be our Hero Moment of the Match!

Watch the LIVE coverage on DD Sports, Waves, Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV!#HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn… pic.twitter.com/pBAsKOnEB5

— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) January 26, 2025

What a win for Odisha, but heart must go out to Jude Menezes, Salima Tete and Soorma HC. The Jharkhand hero puts up a brave face i the end as Salima says in the post-match chat "haar-jeet hota rehta hai" and that they were unlucky. 

Pre-tournament favourites, Odisha were perhaps 2nd best for large parts of this match against a solid Soorma HC. But Odisha prevail in the first women's HIL in a thrilling final. Rutuja, how good! Moment of joy for Schopman in Ranchi after all, one year after her Olympic qualifiers heartbreak. 

ODISHA WARRIORS HAVE DONE IT! THE FIRST WOMEN'S HIL CHAMPIONS!

Rutuja, their unlikely hero. Coach Janneke Schopman has her moment of redemption in Ranchi after all. 

It is indeed 11 outfield players now for Soorma. 

Savita off the pitch. 

Now or never for Soorma. Last minute of the match. 

Will Soorma take off Savita now? They have to throw the kitchen sink at Odisha...

With 2 mins to go, Odisha have the ball in their own half. 

No PC for Odisha, they lose their referral. Just over two minutes to go. And it is now or never for Soorma. 

Odisha make a referral. And it is for another PC. Moes seems rather confident. 

What a time to score... and now with 3:19 to score, Odisha have a PC. And Yibbi is there on the pitch this time. 

But she is thwarted by Maria Verschoor, her teammate for the Netherlands. What a first-rush. 

GOAL, RUTUJA! WOW. SAVITA WON'T WANT TO SEE THAT AGAIN. Rutuja has scored her 2nd of the night. She makes space for herself down the right channel, there is an advantage played and then she gets the shot away.... and Savita lets it go through her feet. She had to do better there. But what a night for Rutuja! 

Rolling subs have made hockey a wonderfully thrilling sport to watch but right at that instance, Odisha must be cursing their luck! It had taken more than 50 minutes to win a PC and then they didn't have Yibbi on the pitch for it. She is back on now and you imagine she would play the last 6 minutes through and through. 

FINALLY A PC FOR ODISHA WARRIORS! Baljeet delays the pass a little bit but she finds Ajmina's feet.

But oh dear, YIBBI JANSEN IS NOT ON THE FIELD! The first PC of the night and they don't have their main weapon on the turf. That's how the cookie crumbles. Neha has to take the hit but it is blocked off. 

Oh boy, oh boy, what a twist of fate that is. 

Oh Salima with a good control of the aerial from the left flank... bit she didn't do the most with the space and time she had. 

We are into the last 8 minutes., And it feels like the next goal will be decisive. 

There is some possession finally for Odishaafter what seems like a long time. Sonika with some combination play with Yibbi Jansen. But Soorma win the ball back and now Sorma can drive forward. But Yibbi is once again there to thwart the threat. 

Yibbi Jansen with a superb tackle to stop a marauding run down the right by Salima. 

Oh that was a good run by Salima down the right flank but Shannon couldn't convert the pass into a shooting chance. Got into a tangle. That could have been a big chance. 

INTO THE FINAL 15 MINUTES. Will we see an outright win? Or will it need a shootout? 

END OF Q3: The official stats show 28 circle entries for Soorma in comparison to 13 for Odisha, that sounds a bit exaggerated but won't be too far off given how dominant Soorma HC were in Q3. The only worry for them is that they didn't convert their dominance into a goal. Odisha are still in this and given the quality in their ranks, one chance might be all it takes. 

A good point on commentary, Freeke Moes has been kept very quiet by the Soorma defence today. She hasn't been able to create many openings. And Yibbi too hasn't been able to exert her influence as Odisha have not won a single PC so far. 

Chance Odisha! Neha with a superb pass from the edge of the circle, Baljeet controls it well with her back to goal but couldn't sort her feet out. Finally some Odishan pressure in this quarter. 

BARTRAM SAVES AGAIN! Deepika Soreng with a fine backhand shot on goal after a fine through ball from Englebert. This is heading for the goal but Bartram puts out her foot in time again! Bartram has single-leggedly kept Odisha in this match. 

Oh, variation! Squibb reverse the injection-stop to Jyoti in the first battery but the shot on goal is blocked off. Odisha are just hanging on here. They have barely gotten going in the 2nd half and we are 7 mins down. Englebert it was, actually, who got a deflection towards goal. 

Another PC for Soorma HC. An aerial into the circle, and Ishika is deemed to have breached the defensive 5m rule. 

ANOTHER CHANCE! Soorma relentless at the start of the second half and Odisha can't breathe at the moment. Hamilton with run into the circle and a reverse pass is into a dangerous area but neither Sonam nor Stapenhorst could apply the finish. Odisha under the pump. 

Coach Jude wanted a better press and more aggression and Soorma have come out on fire from the second half! Another attacking move with Salima in space but her final pass was overhit. 

Another save by Bartram! This is some start by Soorma. This time Olivia Shannon down the right flank and Bartram is again alert to the danger with her feet. 

Oh nearly a blistering start from Soorma! Englebert steals the ball with an immediate press from pushback and unleashes a forehand strike at goal but Bartram is alert to the challenge. Good save with the feet. 

Half-time coach talk

Jude Menezes, Soorma: We are back in the game now, we fought back hard in the last 5-7 mins of quarter. We need to press a little more, we were a bit passive in the first quarter. 

Janneke Schopman, Warriors: It's neck-to-neck, we had the better start but Soorma got better. It's even. We needed to be a bit smarter in the last 10 minutes. We had a few injuries hopefully they can come back and we can get stronger again. 

Odisha Warriors opening the scoring with a field goal while Soorma Hockey Club finding the equaliser with a PC... not something we thought might be the case in this match. 

This final has come alive after a slow start. And is bucking the pre-match expectations in more ways than one. 1-1 at half-time. All to play for.

OUCH! That was a nasty hit on the arm for Jyoti Chhatri. A reverse hit from Stapenhorst goes a bit high and the Indian defender is in need of some medical attention. Nice of goalkeeper Bartram to help Jyoti hold her hand up while she gets the treatment. 

GOAL, SOORMA! AND THAT IS WELL DESERVED! Scoring from PCs has been a massive issue for Soorma but what a time for it to click. Penny Squibb nails this PC effort, a low angular shot that beats Bartram. This was more about placement than power. High-5 in the Soorma dugout between Jude and Rani. 

Another PC for Soorma. Verschoor is starting to make headway repeatedly in midfield. The PC is won by Sophie Hamilton

WOW, how have Soorma not scored! BIG CHANCE. Off the long corner, Soorma come down the right flank, Olivia Shannon and Sonam could have both deflected the ball in but the ball evades them both. 

No advice possible, indeed! Soorma HC keep their referral but no penalty stroke. That really was impossible to say whether it came off the stick or leg off Ishika. 

This might well be a case of no advice possible... the replays are not very conclusive. This could take a while. 

Jyoti will take this from the first battery. Oh, Soorma think they have a case for a penalty stroke! Jyoti has referred this right away. 

Finally, the first PC of this final. And this goes the way of Soorma Hockey Club. 

Unfortunately, PC conversion is not quite Soorma'sstrong suit. But let's see what they do with this. 

SAVE-ITA! Freeke with a freaky good run into the circle down the left flank but the Dutch star delays her final pass a bit too long and Savita cuts down the angle smartly. Freeke could have just released that a little bit earlier. 

Rutuja is at it again! Down the left flank, this time, the Maharashtra youngster with some good stick work but the 3D skills don't quite result in a decisive outcome. The match has certainly opened up. And this might play into Odisha's hands. 

GOAL ODISHA WARRIORS! RUTUJA PISAL! Well, that was some finish, intentional or otherwise. A long ball along the ground by Sauze from the right channel, the ball deflects of a defensive stick and loops into the circle, and Rutuja with a first touch deflection that in turn loops over Savita. Not much the Indian stalwart could do there, that came out of nowhere! 

Odisha are starting to string together a few more passes now. The midfielders are starting to get some control. Sakshi Rana, a teenager who has impressed so far in the tournament, with a good move down the right. 

Yibbi is not a proper goalscorer but also a very good midfielder, and she tries to create an opening of her own with a dribble down the left flank but her charge is stopped. She has another chance higher up the field shortly after but the touch is a bit loose. 

Ranchi has come out in force on Republic Day. 7,000 full house for first ever women's Hockey India League final. The IPL of hockey. pic.twitter.com/g9nCc85qWf

— Rod Gilmour (@_rodgilmour) January 26, 2025

The first quarter ends without a goal but the match did burst into life towards the last few minutes. Odisha look the more threatening from possession but Soorma possess a lot of pace on the counter. 

And now Salima with a lung-bursting run down the right flank but her shot is scuffed. The game came alive in the last couple of minutes. 

SAVE-ITA! The first big moment of the match. Neha with a brilliant run into the circle, dropping her shoulder to make some space. Her reverse hit pass into a danger area is nearly bundled into the net by Rutaja but Savita saves it. And then Maria is there to deal with the scramble. 

Englebert is back on the pitch, and nearly goes on a superb run to fashion a chance. But again the move breaks down at the edge of the circle. Into the final three minutes of this quarter 

It's got to be the nerves of the big occasion... the first 10 minutes have not been a fair reflection of the passing quality in either side so far. Too many moves breaking down before the final circle. 

Both teams have lacked a spark in the final third. Lot of this match has been played in the midfield and between the two circles. 

Oh dear! You don't see this often. An early foul usually results in green cards but this is deemed to be serious enough from Englebert for a five-minute yellow! Soorma down to 10 for the next 5 minutes and without their main source of goal-scoring. 

Neha with good play fro the left channel to release Moes but the Dutch star's attempt to find the feet goes awry. Great defending from Nikki, using all her experience there to ensure she didn't fall for that trap. 

A mention of The Indian Express interview with Yibbi Jansen on the broadcast, where she spoke about how her father Ronald – Olympic gold medallist, twice, with Netherlands – actually wanted her to get into soccer but her mom stepped in and said Yibbi must play hockey. 

It's been a cagey start to this match so far in the first 5 minutes. 

JSW Soorma HC in their whites, Odisha with their orange and blue, keeping in tough with their Dutch flavour. Yibbi Jansen and Freeke Moes will be key for Odisha, but Soorma have a Dutch star of their own in Maria Verschoor. 

Two Charlottes for Soorma, Englebert and Stapenhorst, will be crucial. It will also be a battle between the two goalkeepers, two superstars in Savita Punia for Soorma and Jocelyn Bartram for Odisha. 

A special evening for the rendition of India's national anthem, on the country's Republic Day.