Women HIL: Soorma Club and Odisha Warriors set for first final

Odisha Warriors take on Soorma Hockey Club in the much-anticipated inaugural final of Women's Hockey India League (HIL) 2025 after two weeks of pulsating hockey action. The final has been scheduled to be held on Sunday at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.

The Warriors finished only two points behind Soorma, who topped the table in the league stage, winning 13 points from six matches. While Soorma leads the scoring charts with 15 goals, breaking the strong back four of Warriors will be tough as they have conceded only five goals this season.

Soorma won 2-1 in the first meeting between them with Hina Bano and Sonam getting on the score sheet. In their second encounter, the Warriors made an exceptional comeback, coming out victoriously in the shootout 2-0 after the goalless draw in a nail-biting encounter.

Odisha Warriors are on a winning spree of four games in a row and will be full of confidence ahead of the match. Having won all three of her penalty shootouts this season, Australian goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram is in fine form and will be a decisive force if the final goes to a shootout. Star drag-flicker Yibby Jensen will also be in focus, having converted five penalty corners and is the league's joint-highest goalscorer.

When asked about her role in Sunday's final, Jensen said, "Penalty corners are our strength, so if I get a chance tomorrow I will try my best to score. That is why the team has bought me. It has been a great experience playing with and against players worldwide and I hope we end the tournament on a high note.”

Soorma Hockey Club is known for its consistent offensive prowess. With 12 brilliant field goals, their fast-paced attacks from both flanks have caused a lot of problems for their opponents. The young and dynamic Belgian Charlotte Englebert also has five goals to her name. 19-year-old Indian attacker Sonam has been one of the finds of the tournament and has scored four goals for her side.

Soorma Hockey Club head coach Jude Menezes sounded confident about the team’s preparation going into the final encounter and believed that his side is capable of pulling off a win. “We have prepared well for the final, we have been at the top of the table for most parts of the league and we are as prepared as we can be. We will continue to play our aggressive and free-flowing hockey and score goals right from the first quarter.”

Discussing the opposition, the coach said, “Odisha is a strong team with good foreign players. One thing I can guarantee is that it is going to be a very close match and an entertaining final. We are expecting a strong contest.”

Odisha Warriors captain Neha Goyal spoke on the team's strategy ahead of the big match. She said, “We will not overdo anything and will play to our strengths, as we have done to reach the final. We will play our passing brand of hockey and try to win as many penalty corners as possible.” Both JSW Soorma Hockey Club and Odisha Warriors are all set to lift the coveted Hero Women's Hockey India League trophy and make their name in history by winning the inaugural season.