A stunning display of finishing from Rutuja Pisal saw Janneke Schopman's Odisha Warriors win the inaugural womens's Hockey India League with a 2 - 1 win over JSW Soorma Hockey Club.
For Schopman it was redemption at the site where she had suffered a big loss as India coach (against Soorma's Jude Menezes, then coach of Japan) while for Pisal it was an extraordinary way to announce herself at the big stage.
After a rather dull first quarter, Rutuja started the scoring with a brilliant poacher's finish. A long ball from Victoria Sauze was deflected high and looked to be going out for a long corner when Rutuja expertly manouvered it over a stunned Savita Punia in the Soorma goal. That woke up the team that had led the table in the league phase and it was one-way traffic for most of the match after that. Their pressure told inside the second quarter itself, as they won a penalty corner (PC) and Penny Squib converted brilliantly.
For a team that had struggled to convert PC chances through the tournament (one PC goal in the league stage) it was remarkable that they came up clutch when it mattered most. Not as remarkable, though, as Odisha finding joy in field goals. After leaning heavily on Yibi Janssen's dragflicking to enter the final, it was field goals that gave Odisha the big win.
The winner came from an Odisha counter. After surviving another spell of intense Soorma pressure, Neha Goyal broke through with a run before playing in Rutuja... who held off her markers and blootered a sensational finish through Savita.
With Soorma throwing everything forward, Odisha's last ditch defending stood out yet again as they held on for the win.
You can relive all the action from the final in our live below: