Top five drag-flickers in women's hockey in the world

These players are a threat to the opposition box from penalty-corners.

Drag-flicks have become an indispensable part of hockey today. Major teams rely on their specialist drag-flickers to capitalize on penalty-corners. These players have mastered the art of scoring from drag-flicks, a skill that requires a lot of power and accuracy on the player's part.

For people who are unfamiliar with what a drag-flick is, it is the technique of shooting the ball with a slinging stick towards goal. Prior to that, the ball is lifted by the shaft of the hockey stick. The drag-flicker then expertly maneuvers the ball towards goal. Precise drag-flicks are hard to stop even for the most game goalkeepers.

Just like there are drag-flickers in men's hockey, there are experts in the women's game too. Here are five players who have mastered the art of scoring from drag-flicks.

5. Grace Balsdon (England)

Grace Blasdon has established herself as one of the best drag-flickers in women's hockey today. The 28-year-old from Canterbury was also a star in Great Britain's success at the Tokyo Olympics. Infact, it was her goal in the bronze medal game against India that won them the match.

She took the penalty-corner to perfection, sliding it between the defenders and Savita Punia's legs. Apart from this, she also scored against Spain in the quarter-finals and India in the group stages.

4. Agustina Gorzelany (Argentina)

Agustina Gorzelany's accomplishments in hockey are nothing short of mind-boggling. She is a three-time gold medalist at the Junior World Cup 2016, South American Games 2016 and Pan-American Cup 2017. Her latest addition is the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Gorzelany played a crucial role in Argentina's success in that campaign. The 26-year-old converted beautiful penalty-corners against China and Japan in the group stages. She also scored a magnificent goal against the Netherlands in the finals, swooping her powerful grounded shot right between the Dutch goalkeeper's legs.

3. Frederique Matla (Netherlands)

Striker Frederique Matla is one of the Netherlands' top drag-flickers in women's hockey today. The 25-year-old debuted for the national side in 2017 and has been proficient in goalscoring. The Huizen native has 60 appearances for her nation and has scored 37 goals till now, all from penalty-corners.

Matla is equally deadly in field goals as well. No wonder she was the top scorer at the Tokyo Olympics with nine goals. She scored against literally every team in Tokyo and torpedoed the Netherlands to a gold medal.

2. Caia van Maasakker (Netherlands)

Another Dutch player on this list is none other than Caia van Maasakker. The 32-year-old defender is one of the most experienced players in the world. She has 160 appearances for her national side and 46 goals to her credit, all from penalty-corners.

Van Maasakker became the star for the Netherlands in their final face-off against Argentina at the Tokyo Olympics. The player from the Hague scored two vital goals, that put the game out of Argentina's reach. Both goals came from beautifully-crafted penalty-corners. At the 2012 Olympics too, she emerged as the top scorer in the Netherlands' gold medal-winning campaign.

1. Gurjit Kaur

The best drag-flicker in women's hockey today is none other than India's Gurjit Kaur. This athlete from Punjab has scored 64 goals in her 95 appearances for India, all of them from drag-flicks.

Gurjit is India's go-to player when it comes to penalty-corners. She always delivers whenever she is called upon. Be it the Tokyo Olympics, the 2021 Asian Champions Trophy or the Women's Hockey Asia Cup, her consistency is unparalleled. Co-incidentally, it was the 26-year-old's goal against Australia that helped India's women reach the semis for the first time at the Olympics.

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