Heading into the second edition of Women’s Hockey India League, Navneet Kaur’s pre-season hope was to play more attacking hockey, combine better with her teammates, and contribute more from set pieces. “I don’t have a number in mind for the number of goals,” she had said to The Indian Express. “But I do want to contribute more. I want to focus on our Penalty Corner attack because it is something I did well in the recent Asia Cup.” And that is exactly what the SG Pipers captain did, breaking the deadlock against Ranchi Royals and eventually leading her side to a 2-0 win on the opening night in Ranchi.Despite Royals having the better of the early exchanges, it was the Pipers who got close to opening the scoring. A high ball, caused by Ranchi losing possession deep in their territory, bounced in front of Navneet. The captain smartly batted it down almost like a tennis forehand, into the circle. Bichu Devi initially let the ball through because the shot came from outside the circle but the ball rebounded off the post into a dangerous area. This time, however, the goalkeeper took no chances and reacted quickly to remove the danger.Early in the second quarter, Royals forced the first PC of the evening, created by the star of last edition’s final, Rutuja Pisal. Her strong close control led to a shot on goal that was saved by Bansari Solanki. From the resulting set pieces though, Pipers were able to keep Maria Ortiz at bay.The Pipers continued to struggle in terms of putting together attacking moves, with Deepika especially not being brought into play often enough, either from open play or through PCs. Pipers did win their PC when Ishika was fouled in the circle, but Deepika wasn’t on the pitch to make it count. With the forward-cum-dragflicker not on the field for the next routines too, Navneet stepped up and put her side in the lead, angling her low shot across Madhuri Kindo.Three minutes into the second half, Royals earned another set-piece opportunity but the injection-trapping routine broke down. Their next PC opportunity, won after good work by Rutuja again, also met with a similar outcome – the ball bobbling too much from the injection to enable a clean trap. The final moments of the third quarter summed up Royals’ frustrations as a PC won with two seconds left, was mistrapped once more.All those missed opportunities came back to bite them early in the final quarter, as Teresa Viana broke through on goal in a 1v1 against Bichu, cut back inside smartly and tapped the ball towards the empty net. Ishika Chaudhary still had the chance to clear it on the line but the ball hit her foot and trickled in. The Pipers’ deep defence then resisted the Royals’ late attacking threat. Having won just one match last year, the early signs are good for Navneet and her side.Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Hockey India LeagueIndian hockey