Hockey: BITS vs. BITS Alumni

Although the match scheduled at 5 P.M. on Day 1 between the BITS and BITS Alumni teams witnessed modest spectatorship, the audience present seemed enthusiastic to watch the two teams face-off against each other. The encounter was vastly one-sided, with the BITS team outplaying their opposition in nearly all aspects of the game. 

The home team adopted an offensive playstyle in the first quarter, making numerous attacking runs in the first few minutes and maintaining possession of the ball for a majority of the quarter. Although the scores remained tied at zero at the end of the quarter, the BITS team had a clear upper hand in the battle. The second quarter was significantly more competitive, with the Alumni team showing fierce intent to score and coming close to doing so on a couple of occasions. However, they failed to produce a goal, and the score remained at 0-0 at half-time.

Judging by their performance in the second quarter, it seemed as though the BITS Alumni team would be able to put up a good fight against their opposition. This was proven wrong early on in the third quarter, as the home team broke through their opponents’ defences several times and inched close to scoring, much to the Alumni team’s frustration. The BITS team finally managed to break the deadlock by converting a corner penalty into a goal, with the scores now being 1-0 in their favour. They scored yet again in a similar fashion a few minutes later, further widening the gap between the scores of the two teams. A third goal by the home team, scored by guiding the ball accurately between the goalkeeper’s legs, brought the third quarter and the Alumni team’s chances of winning to an end. 

The final stretch of the game was rather uneventful and proceeded at a much slower pace, save for a few attempts at the goal by the home team. With each passing minute, the eventual result of the match became increasingly evident. The scores were 3-0 at the end of the match, and the BITS team was ecstatic to have started the tournament on a high note.