Newcomers Fortis boosted their tier I promotion chances with a facile 3-1 win over Army Service Corps (ASC) in the tier II Super Division hockey league at the KSHA Stadium here on Tuesday.
Going into the match with just one victory from four outings, Fortis had to deliver with high-profile names in their ranks and they did the job in a pleasing manner.
Chengappa got Fortis off to a terrific start with a fierce reverse hit in the opening minute after a brisk foray into the shooting circle. Fortis then rolled out aggressive hockey aided with fast runs and neat passes.
Sandeep Michael, who threw the seeds for many moves, found himself in a good scoring position at the edge of the shooting circle and his fierce hit doubled the lead in the 13th minute.
ASC could not trouble the rival defence though four penalty corners came their way in a span of two minutes midway through the opening half.
Brilliant charge
Fortis did not dish out an equally forceful array of attacks after the break but on the other hand ASC simply failed to create opportunities. Fortis then made it 3-0 when Chengappa and Sandeep combined well to set up Brojen Singh on the left. The former international made no mistake with the hit.
ASC netted the consolation goal just four minutes from the hooter when Rawa Bhengra converted the team’s seventh and final penalty corner.
Earlier, Army Green XI qualified for Tier I, edging HAL 4-3 to move to the top spot. SAI played out a goalless draw with Central Excise in another match.
HAL were leading 3-0 with first-half goals from Teja Babu (19th), Bhim Kumar (21st) and Dominic Savio (35th). Army men fought back through Jerome Kujur (46th), Anup Kullu (49th) and Arumugam (50th, 57th).
While Army Green head the table with 16 points, ASC are placed second with 10 points. HAL and SAI have eight points while MEG and Central Excise are on seven. All these teams have one match to play. Fortis too have seven points but they have two more matches in their kitty.