KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s national women’s junior hockey squad suffered their third straight defeat at the 2026 Women’s Junior Asia Cup after going down 0-1 to South Korea in their Elite Group match in Moqi, China today.
South Korea’s Park Soyeon scored the only goal of the match with a field goal in the 45th minute, which proved enough to secure victory.
The defeat followed Malaysia’s 1-6 loss to hosts China in their opening match last Friday and an 1-11 thrashing by defending champions India in their second group match yesterday.
Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim’s charges will face Japan on Wednesday in their final Elite Group match before entering the quarter-finals.
Under the tournament format, all five teams in the Elite Group - Malaysia, China, India, Japan and South Korea - have already secured their places in the last eight.
They will be joined by the top three teams from the Challenge Group, comprising Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and Pakistan.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has set a place in the 2027 Women’s Junior World Cup as the team’s main target, with five tickets to the tournament up for grabs.
A top-four finish would also mark Malaysia’s best-ever performance in the Women’s Junior Asia Cup.
-- BERNAMA