Asian Games: India To Take On South Korea in Semis, Aim to End 44-Year Wait for Women’s Hockey Gold

Nagoya, Sep 29: India's unbeaten women's hockey team will look to move one step closer to ending a 44-year wait for an Asian Games gold medal when it faces South Korea in the semifinal at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium on Wednesday.

India have enjoyed a dominant run in the tournament, winning all five of their Pool B matches and producing a staggering 66 goals in the process. A victory against South Korea would take the team into the final, leaving them just one win away from securing their second Asian Games women's hockey gold after their maiden triumph in 1982.

Ranked eighth in the world, India enter the semifinal with a higher ranking than 15th-placed South Korea. However, the Indian camp is aware that the knockout stage presents a different challenge after a relatively comfortable pool campaign.

Asian Games: Indian Women's

India opened their tournament with a 19-0 demolition of Uzbekistan before registering big wins over Indonesia and Thailand. They then defeated hosts Japan 3-1 in their toughest pool match before completing the group stage with a 7-0 victory over Singapore.

South Korea, meanwhile, finished second in Pool A behind China. They won four of their five matches, with their only setback coming against China in a 0-3 defeat. Their biggest victory was an 8-0 win over Bangladesh.

India's attacking strength has been one of the major highlights of their campaign. Drag-flick specialist Deepika leads the tournament's scoring charts with 21 goals, while experienced forward Navneet Kaur has contributed 10. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal has seven goals, with Lalremsiami and Ishika adding six and five respectively.

India also has considerable experience in goal, with veteran Savita providing leadership alongside Bichu Devi.

Chief coach Sjoerd Marijne acknowledged that South Korea will provide a significantly tougher test than most of India's pool opponents.

"For us, training is the way to stay in rhythm. Everybody knows what is expected from them," Marijne said. "Now it's a big challenge in the semi-finals of the Asian Games, and we are looking forward to playing against South Korea."

South Korea will rely heavily on midfielder Seungae Park, who has scored eight goals in the tournament so far.

After two days of rest following the pool stage, both sides will return with a place in the final at stake. Weather conditions have remained unsettled in Kakamigahara in recent days, although sunny conditions are forecast for Wednesday.