Moqi: Malaysia's national women's junior hockey team experienced their third consecutive defeat at the 2026 Women's Junior Asia Cup, narrowly losing 0-1 to South Korea in their Elite Group match. According to BERNAMA News Agency, South Korea's Park Soyeon scored the decisive goal in the 45th minute. This result added to Malaysia's earlier defeats, a 1-6 loss to hosts China and a 1-11 defeat by defending champions India, highlighting a challenging start for Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim's team in the tournament. Malaysia will face Japan in their final Elite Group match on Wednesday before entering the quarter-finals. Despite the losses, all five teams in the Elite Group, including Malaysia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea, have already secured their places in the quarter-finals. 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) aims for the team to secure a place in the 2027 Wome n's Junior World Cup, with five spots available. Achieving a top-four finish would also mark Malaysia's best performance in the Women's Junior Asia Cup history.