Gyeongnam pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Seoul in the Women’s Handball H League to stay within striking distance of the league leaders. Gyeongnam suffered a second-half deficit, but came back to win with two and a half minutes left in regulation.
Gyeongnam defeated Seoul 30-28 on Sunday at the SK Handball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, in the Shinhan SOL Pay 23-24 Handball H League. Gyeongnam, which won the first round 30-26, won again to complete the best-of-two series. Gyeongnam tied first-place SK with 19 points, but finished second due to goal differential.
Gyeongnam jumped out to an 8-4 lead early in the first half and seemed to decide the game early on. Seoul was unable to penetrate the Gyeongnam defense. Gyeongnam pivot Kim Sora (26) and left back Heo Yoo-jin (28) blocked the center. Gyeongnam shut down Seoul’s attack with a two-man press defense at one point.
After finishing the first half 14-11, Gyeongnam kept the game close with Seoul. It was Seoul center back Woo Beet-na (23) who started to break the balance. The league’s top goal scorer and assists leader, Woo used a variety of attacking patterns in the second half, including a quick shot on the counterattack, to break the 25-25 tie and take a 25-27 lead.
This was the moment when the game flowed perfectly in Seoul’s favor. That’s when Seoul Pivot Joaram (36) was sent off with a red card. Seoul was down to two players after the previous two-minute ejection. Gyeongnam didn’t waste any time and immediately tied the game at 27-27.
From there, Woo’s shot was blocked by Gyeongnam goalkeeper Osara (32). Gyeongnam right back Bae Min-hee (36) scored back-to-back goals to make it 30-28. Gyeongnam right back Choi Ji-hye (25), who was named the MVP, scored 10 goals, while Seoul’s Woo Bit-na (14) scored 10 goals.
“Every game is important, but I’m glad we won,” said Gyeongnam’s Bae Min-hee, who scored two goals in a row to seal the victory. “I’m grateful to those who have been supporting us, and I shrugged my shoulders because I was able to show them a winning game often, so please look forward to more in the future.”
In the earlier match, Samcheok came from behind to beat Busan 24-21 and secure fourth place.
It was a game that showed the defending champions’ strong defense.
After falling behind 9-11 in the first half, Samcheok quickly turned the tables on 바카라사이트 Busan with a fastbreak play behind the defense. In the second half, Busan made one mistake after another. They were unable to make any long-range shots, which allowed Samcheok to take a 17-14 lead in the second half.
National team goalkeeper Park Sae-young, 30, made 14 saves to help the South Koreans hold off a late Busan comeback to win 24-21. Park currently leads the league in saves (171) and defense percentage (39.22%). Busan goalkeeper Kim Soo-yeon (26) made 21 saves, but was disappointed with her team’s loss.
“I’m glad we won because our ace players were out with injuries, so the remaining players practiced on short notice,” said Samcheok right back Choi Soo-ji (29), who was named MVP with five goals and three assists. “We will continue to play with all our might, so please give us your support.”