Fujieda Junshin capture national title in the All Japan High School Women's Football Championship #football

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:07:01 +0900

Fujieda Junshin High School edged Kamimura Gakuen High School 3-2 in the 24th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship on 10 January. Fujieda Junshin grabbed their first title in nine years and it was the second-ever championship for them.

Fujieda Junshin High School (Tokai 1/Shizuoka) 3-2 (1-2, 2-0) Kamimura Gakuen High School（Kyushu 1/Kagoshima)

The motivation levels for the championship by both teams were shown from the beginning. In the 3rd minute, Fujieda Junshin got past the left side, and IWASHITA Kurumi received the ball in the box and provided a pass to KIMOTSUKI Moe. Kimotsuki shed a defender and made a shot into the right side of the goal. But less a minute later, Kamimura Gakuen tied the game, when WATANABE Rena who trotted into the near side of the goal reacting to a cross from OGAWA Ai from the left side, had a heel shot with her left leg into the goal mouth.

After the game was tied, Fujieda Junshin took the pace. They attacked on the space behind Kamimura Gakuen's defensive line, mainly having their offensive plays in the left side. Fujieda Junshin players were sharp in reacting to loose balls and quickly tried to get the ball back as soon as their opponents had it. They wouldn't let the momentum go. Yet it was Kamimura Gakuen who scored the next goal. In the 41st minute, SUIZU Momoka, who had moved from the one-top position to the left side, dribbled up and fed a cross into the mid field. Watanabe scooped a loose ball and fired a shot from a little outside the box. The shot went in to put Kamimura Gakuen ahead.

In the second half, against Fujieda Junshin, who played emphasizing on their offence a little more and it widened the distances between their own players, Kamimura Gakuen attempted to get the ball at higher spots defensively. But Fujieda Junshin's strong will to score prevailed on 60th minute. Their vertical pass was once about to be intercepted, but they managed to show their toughness in batting for the ball and got it back. Kimotsuki reacted to a last pass from Iwashita scored her second goal of the day, equaling the game at 2 all.

Kimotsuki continued to do her job afterwards. In the 66th minute, she received the ball from the right side, dribbled toward the centre, and then provided a perfect pass to right side-back ABE Yukina, who was running into the box with a slant route. Abe directly put it into the goal to give Fujieda Junshin a 3-2 lead.

Kamimura Gakuen nearly scored a game-tying goal with an attack from a side in the 63rd minute, and attempted to activate their offence making some player substitutions. But Fujieda Junshin kept moving their legs and playing with high concentration, and wounds up retaining their lead until the final whistle. At the post-tournament ceremony, the Fujieda Junshin players bursted into the joy on their title.

Match details (Japanese version only)

Coach and Players' Comments

TATARA Kazuyuki, Coach (Fujieda Junshin High School)
Suppose my expectation for last year's team was a scale 100, it wasn't even the half of it for this year's team. I thought that maybe this team wouldn't be able to advance to the national championship. I was talking with our staff that we would at least want to go to the national championship, and that team wound up winning the championship. That was such a surprise. This team might have had some points that didn't match our last year's team, like the ball possessing. But we had some players who were able to kick the ball precisely, so we tried to build a team who could have slow offence and fast offence both. Our players made great growth in this past one year.

TERASHI Yuta, Coach (Kamimura Gakuen High School)
Against technically-advanced Fujieda Junshin, we gradually got pushed back. They were better and stronger. Not only they had a little techniques, but they were also running and had the strengths competing for the ball. And we allowed them to have the ball longer. I think that it hurt us like a body blow that we had hard times getting the ball. Kamimura Gakuen was a team who came up to this point with their defence, so it was a complete loss for us as we gave up three goals today. Yet the players didn't change the way of their football, which they've kept on working, and gave everything they had out there. We have no regrets.

KIMOTSUKI Moe (Fujieda Junshin High School)
I hurt myself during the summer, but I tried to give a payback to our trainer for having given me cares to get the pains away as much as possible everyday. When you are absent from a team, it gives you damage in terms of competing for your spot on your team, but I thought that working on what I could do would lead to the championship and worked as hard as I could. I didn't think of playing the whole game fully, but focused on how harder I could play at every moment and played at a full throttle from the beginning. I was able to display who I was more than any other games in this tournament. I hadn't scored but put up just assists, but I'm relieved that I did my job in the very final contest.

HASHITANI Suguri (Kamimura Gakuen High School)
I'm very disappointed. They were just better than us. We knew they would connect passes, so thought that playing patiently would be important. We were talking to each other that we would switch our mindset even when I give up a goal, so my game-tying goal was a result of having rest my mind. We were able to show our strong mindset, which is our strength. I learned throughout this tournament that you have to do your best especially when you struggle to come up with positive outcomes, otherwise you won't overcome struggles. I want our younger players to definitely capture a national championship.