The third hockey match of BOSM, played yesterday between BITS and BITS Alumni was a rather one-sided affair, with the former outplaying the latter in nearly all aspects of the game. The pace of the game was largely controlled by the home team who seemed to be pressing offensively throughout. The first attempt at scoring was seen very early in the game. Within ten minutes of the first quarter, three penalty corners had already been awarded to BITS; the third one resulted in the opening goal of the match scored by the captain, Prashant Rai. Aiming to get back in the game, the second quarter saw a better response from the Alumni team. However, by the end of the third quarter, the match was over as a contest: Prashant Rai had completed his hat-trick by scoring two goals in quick succession. The final quarter – which ended ten minutes early on account of poor light – witnessed a goal by BITS’s left forward, Rasal Kumar.

The match was an excellent display of BITS’s defensive abilities; most of their opponent’s attacks failed to even reach the scoring area. While the movements and formations were fluid for the home team, it was evident that the Alumni team were facing problems in maintaining a set formation. This resulted in a large number of their passes being intercepted; both their offence and defence failed to function effectively.

Rasal seemed delighted with the team’s performance. ‘We played well today. We were struggling in the first quarter, but that improved as the match went on’, he said.