Indian junior women''s hockey team goes down 0-5 against Australia U21

Canberra, Sep 27 (PTI) The Indian junior women's hockey team slumped to its second straight defeat, going down 0-5 to hosts Australia U21 side in the second match of its ongoing tour here on Saturday.

Makayla Jones (10', 11', 52') scored a hattrick while Sami Love (38'), Migaliya Howell (50') also found the net for the hosts.

India, who had suffered a narrow 2-3 loss in their opening match on Friday, were eager to bounce back, but Australia showed their attacking intent right from the start.

The hosts struck twice in quick succession through Makayla to put India on the back foot early in the contest.

In the second half, Australia continued to press high and capitalised on their opportunities.

Sami extended the lead with a field goal to make it 3-0.

The fourth quarter saw Australia seal the contest, with Migaliya finding the back of the net, before Makayla completed her hat-trick.

With two defeats in their opening matches, the Indian team will now be aiming to regroup quickly and focus on improving execution in the upcoming fixtures.

India will next face the Australian U21 side in their third match of the tour on Monday. PTI APA TAP