Men’s HIL | Soorma’s 6-1 victory not enough for a playoff spot

JSW Soorma Hockey Club rode on Jeremy Hayward’s fantastic four to thrash SG Pipers 6-1 in the final round-robin league match, but narrowly fell short of qualifying for the playoffs of the Hockey India League at the Kalinga Stadium here on Thursday.

Soorma, needing a win by seven clear goals to displace HIL GC from the fourth spot, were tied with Hyderabad Toofans and HIL GC on 11 points but finished agonisingly fifth.

Encouraged by their coach Philippe Goldberg’s call to score twice in each quarter, Soorma attacked from the outset and pumped in three goals inside 11 minutes.

Long balls in the air and along the carpet, mixed with smart passing, helped Soorma breach Pipers’ defence frequently. Hayward launched two low flicks to convert Soorma’s first two short corners and build the excitement.

Gurjant Singh dispossessed Gareth Furlong near Pipers’ circle and passed it on to Lucas Martinez to make it 3-0.

Pipers did well to reply with some attacks, but struggled with their finishing.

Even as the Harmanpreet Singh-led side, boosted by a dashing Victor Wegnez, looked to widen its lead and earned two more penalty corners in the second quarter, Pipers protected their citadel well.

Soorma scored their fourth as Hayward unleashed an angled flick to achieve his hat-trick early in the third period.

Pipers patiently held the ball and pulled one back through Tomas Domene’s powerful short corner goal.

Hayward’s fourth off a penalty stroke restored Soorma’s cushion but that was not enough for a spot in the next round as Pipers defended with determination to spoil Soorma’s plans.

The top two teams, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers and Ranchi Royals, will meet in Qualifier 1, while teams taking third and fourth places, Toofans and HIL GC respectively, will face off in the Eliminator. Both games are on Friday.

The result: JSW Soorma Hockey Club 6 (Jeremy Hayward 2-pc, 7-pc, 34-pc, 45-ps, Lucas Martinez 11, Nicolas Keenan 47) bt SG Pipers 1 (Tomas Domene 43).

The round-robin table: 1. Vedanta Kalinga Lancers: Played 7, Wins 4, Wins (s.o.) 2, Loss 1, Loss (s.o.) 0, Goals For 16, Goals Against 8, Goal Difference 8, Points 16; 2. Ranchi Royals: 7, 3, 1, 2, 1, 25, 18, 7, 12; 3. Hyderabad Toofans: 7, 3, 0, 2, 2, 17, 11, 6, 11; 4. HIL GC: 7, 3, 0, 2, 2, 21, 18, 3, 11; 5. JSW Soorma Hockey Club: 7, 3, 1, 3, 0, 16, 14, 2, 11; 6. Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons: 7, 1, 3, 2, 1, 19, 22, -3, 10; 7. Shrachi Bengal Tigers: 7, 3, 0, 4, 0, 16, 24, -8, 9; 8. S.G. Pipers: 7, 1, 0, 5, 1, 14, 29, -15, 4.

Published – January 22, 2026 10:03 pm IST