Seoul City Hall Secures Crucial Win Against Gwangju: What This Means for the Playoffs?

[Sports Today Reporter Shin Seoyoung] Seoul City Hall picked up two points against Gwangju Urban Corporation, igniting the battle for fourth place.

Seoul City Hall defeated Gwangju Urban Corporation 27-23 on April 5 at 4:10 p.m. at Samcheok Civic Gymnasium in Gangwon Province in the Shinhan SOL Bank 25-26 Handball H League women's match.

The win was Seoul City Hall’s second straight. The club moved to 7 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses (18 points) and remains in fifth, but it now sits level on points with fourth-place Gyeongnam Development Corporation — setting up a direct fight for the final postseason spot. Gwangju Urban Corporation was locked into seventh at 4-1-14 (9 points).

Kim Ji-hyun opened the scoring with a powerful mid-range shot, and Jo Su-yeon answered for Seoul City Hall, kicking off a back-and-forth duel. Jeong Jin-hee’s early saves helped Seoul City Hall pull ahead 7-4. Jo Su-yeon and Lee Gyu-hee carried the early scoring load for Seoul City Hall, while Gwangju rattled the post repeatedly, including on a 7-meter attempt.

Seoul City Hall pushed the lead to three, but goalkeeper Lee Min-ji’s stops sparked a Gwangju comeback. Kim Ji-hyun and Lee Hyo-jin scored in succession to close the gap to 9-8, and Kim Geum-soon’s 7-meter draw evened the score at 10-10. Seoul City Hall regained control as Gwangju missed shots and committed offensive fouls, closing the first half up 15-12.

The second half began with consecutive goals from Woo Bit-na, stretching the lead to 17-12. Gwangju adjusted to 5-1 and later 3-3 defenses, forcing turnovers and trimming the deficit to 18-15. But Jeong Jin-hee’s timely saves and more goals from Woo Bit-na pushed the margin back out to 23-17.

After Oh Ye-na was given a two-minute suspension and Seoul City Hall committed a pair of errors, Gwangju ripped off four straight to make it 23-21 and raise the pressure. Clutch scorer Woo Bit-na halted that run, and Jeong Jin-hee turned aside three straight shots to swing momentum back. Seoul City Hall closed out the game, 27-23.

Pivot An Hye-in said, “This was an important match. We all dug in and fought until the end, and I’m happy we got the win. Playing more minutes this season has been tough, but it’s given me a chance to show the fans and my teammates who I am. We missed the postseason last year, so we’ll keep preparing until the end to make the playoffs this season.”



[Sports Today reporter Shin Seoyoung sports@stoo.com]
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