Hanam City Hall defeats Incheon City Corporation to take third place.
Hanam City Hall defeated Incheon City Corporation 29-23 on Saturday at Samcheok Civic Gymnasium in Samcheok, Gangwon-do, in the third game of the fourth round of the Shinhan SOL Pay 23-24 Handball H League Men’s Division.
With the victory, Hanam City Hall moved up to third place with 10 wins, two draws and six losses, and 22 points, knocking Incheon City Corporation off the top spot. Hanam City Hall has won three straight games to reach the 10-win plateau.
Incheon City Corporation, which lost its second straight game, slipped to fourth place with 10 wins, one draw and seven losses and 21 points.
The battle for third and fourth place between Hanam City Hall and Incheon Metropolitan City Corporation will continue to be fierce, as the top three teams will qualify for the playoffs.
Hanam City struggled to score as top scorer Shin Jae-seop’s mid-range shot was blocked, but Kim Ji-hoon and Kim Da-bin led the offense as they took advantage of the gaps in the defense to score goals.
Incheon City Corporation returned Yoon Si-Yeol and Lee Yo-Seop to the lineup, which led to an active offense. From the beginning of the match, the two teams played a close game with quick attacks. The teams exchanged one point each before Hanam City took a two-point lead, 8-6.
Hanam City Hall struggled with some saves from Lee Chang-woo, but they managed to grab the rebounds and took the lead throughout, ending the first half with a 16-14 lead.
Incheon Metropolitan City Corporation quickly took a two-point lead at the start of the second half, but Hanam City Hall regained the lead at 18-16 after a save by goalkeeper Park Jae-yong.
The score remained tied at one and two points, but after a rebound and a save by Park Jae-yong, Hanam City Hall’s Kim Ji-hoon and Kim Da-bin scored back-to-back goals to extend the lead to 26-20. In the end, Hanam City Hall won the match 29-23.
“It was an important game and we won because we were all together and desperate to beat Incheon City Corporation,” said Kim Da-bin, who was named MVP after scoring six goals and making seven saves. “It’s my first time being named MVP, and it’s an honor to receive it in such an important game, and it means a lot to me, so I’m grateful and thankful to my teammates.”
