Soorma Hockey Club began their campaign in the Women's Hockey India League (HIL) on a high as they beat Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers 4-1 in Ranchi on Monday. (More Hockey News)

Olivia Shannon (38th minute), Charlotte Englebert (42nd), captain Salima Tete (44th) and Sonam (47th) scored for Soorma while Hannah Cotter (7th) got the lone goal for the Tigers.

Soorma controlled the tempo of the game and created good scoring opportunities in the early minutes. Despite Soorma's dominant showing, it was Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers that drew first blood, scoring a field goal in the 7th minute.

The Tigers received a free hit in a dangerous position after which the ball fell to New Zealand's Hannah Cotter who did well in front of the goal and fired a powerful shot past the keeper.

Soorma, a goal behind, won the first penalty corner of the match in the 11th minute but Penny Squibb's drag-flick was deflected well by the Tigers.

Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers tried to build on the momentum in the second quarter as Grace Stewart dribbled past the defenders and took a shot which was met by a strong save by Savita.

After this attempt, the Soorma Hockey Club took control of ball possession again as they forced the Tigers to their own half with some relentless attacking hockey.

Soorma won four penalty corners in the second quarter and found the net on one occasion, in the 21st minute, but unfortunately for them, the goal didn't stand after the umpire took a video referral and spotted stick interference made by a Soorma attacker.

Soorma turned the game on its head in the third quarter, bagging three goals in quick succession. They won back-to-back penalty corners in the opening minutes of the third quarter but Bengal Tigers keeper Grace O'Hanlon made a couple of brilliant saves to keep the lead intact.

Moments later, Tigers too started attacking aggressively and won a penalty corner in the 33rd minute, but captain Udita's drag-flick was thwarted by the Soorma defence.

Soorma's continuous attacking threats finally paid off when they found the equaliser in the 38th minute.

Penny Squibb carried the ball from deep in her own half beating her markers and passed it onto Deepika Soreng who left it for Olivia Shannon on the left. Shannon fired the ball into the bottom left corner, beating the outstretched goalkeeper.

Four minutes later, Soorma completed their comeback thanks to a goal from Charlotte Englebert, which came courtesy of a successfully orchestrated penalty corner variation.

Soorma extended their lead in the 44th minute as captain Salima Tete made a solid effort from distance and found the net from a tight angle to place her side in a dominant position at the end of the third quarter.

"This series is not just about the two teams playing; it's about reviving the spirit of hockey in Delhi. We hope this will inspire more young players from the region to take up the game," Harmanpreet stated in a press release issued by Hockey India.

Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey expressed his enthusiasm and stated: "This bilateral series against Germany will be a remarkable showcase of world-class hockey. Both India and Germany have a rich history in the sport, and this series will give fans an opportunity to witness an intense competition between two of the most formidable teams in the world.

In the 47th minutesuperace88, Sonam converted a penalty stroke to complete the tally.