Hockey India League 2024-25: Harte excels in goal as Tamil Nadu Dragons goes top after shootout win against Toofans
Hockey India League 2024-25: Harte excels in goal as Tamil Nadu Dragons goes top after shootout win against Toofans
David Harte had a storming game in goal, leading the Tamil Nadu Dragons to a thrilling 4-3 penalty shootout win over the Hyderabad Toofans in a Pool B encounter in the Hockey India League (HIL) at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
The Dragons’ keeper, Harte, pulled off four penalty shootout saves, adding to his series of stops during regulation time to frustrate the Toofans and propel his side to the top of the standings. Maico Casella’s goal from a penalty corner – the Toofans’ 13th PC of the night – with less than 120 seconds left on the clock, levelled the scores at 2-2, but Harte once again stood tall in the shootout.
The match began at a frenetic pace, with both teams appearing flat-footed in defence, resulting in two goals within the opening two minutes. The Toofans took the lead when Tim Brand slid the ball into the goal from a Rajinder Singh pass. The Dragons responded immediately through Blake Govers, who picked up a pass at the edge of the circle before striking the ball crisply and low to sound the board.
It was an end-to-end affair, with the Dragons frequently finding their forwards, only to be denied by goalkeepers Vikas Dahiya and Bikramjit Singh. The Toofans came back stronger in the second quarter, earning multiple short corners but failing to breach the Dragons’ defence.
Dragons’ Jip Janssen, however, capitalised on his opportunity when the Dutch defender angled the ball into the right corner past Dahiya, taking his tournament tally to six goals.
The Irishman Harte repeatedly rescued the Dragons with stunning saves, including three successive stops within seconds to preserve their lead. The Toofans tried penalty corner variations with Amandeep Lakra from the second battery and Rajinder as a decoy, but both were thwarted.
In the dying minutes, Gonzalo Peillat, Arthur De Sloover, and Brand all attempted to find the equaliser before Casella finally managed to get past Harte with a fortuitous deflection.
