Much-awaited final to come at All Japan High School Women's Football Championship #football

Sat, 09 Jan 2016 10:33:12 +0900

On Sunday 10 January, the 24th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship final will determine the best team in the nation for this generation of women. It can be either Fujieda Junshin (Tokai 1/Shizuoka) or Kamimura Gakuen High School (Kyushu 1/Kagoshima). Both have experienced winning this title before and Fujieda Junshin came back to the final match for the first time in two years, while Kamimura did so after three years of absence. The win will be the first in nine years for Fujieda Junshin and the first in 10 for Kamimura Gakuen.

Fujieda Junshin have shown their mastery in controlling matches and performing well when it is needed most. In the semi-final against Daisho Gakuen High School (Kansai 1/Osaka), they created their own rhythm by making it difficult for the opponents to build up from goalkeeper and instead making them rely on long balls. Coach TATARA Kazuyuki said "we focused on erasing our opponents’ strength, more than showing our strength." Their game plan is denying opponents from making crosses and shooting attempts even when Fujieda Junshin sometimes get pushed back. Daisho Gakuen’s coach OKAHISA Sho agreed, saying "I felt that was what their cleverness was about."

Fujieda Junshin also has the striker they can rely on. It is KONO Fuka who has scored in every match they played in this tournament. Despite her small physique, shots she fires have power and also pinpoint accuracy, always a good combination to find the back of the net. As she says "It is the most important for a forward to score goals," she scored the match opening goal in the semi-final which helped her team to get on momentum. This is her third straight appearance at this tournament and she is motivated enough to say "I will go home smiling no matter what."

Kamimura Gakuen also have their own deadly weapon. It is set-pieces. Out of the 11 goals they scored in all four matches, seven were from either a corner-kick or a free-kick. Coach HANDA Etsuko of Tokoha Gakuen Tachibana High School (Tokai 2/Shizuoka) who played against Kamimura in the quarter final praised Kamimura’s kicker MIIZU Momoka, saying "there are players who can kick accurately, but there isn’t another one who can kick such strong balls so accurately like her."

Another coach of Kamimura’s past opponents, ARIGA Shigekazu of Shutoku Senior High School (Kanto 2/Tokyo), said "of course we were paying attention to it." But Kamimura scored two goals from corner-kicks anyway regardless of the defence on their way to clinching the final appearance. What makes matters worse for their opponents, Kamimura has more than one capable kicker. For example, NORIGOE Rena often takes longer free-kicks.

Both Fujieda Junshin and Kamimura have similarities, too. One of them is their ability and stamina to continue running. Fujieda Junshin often gain their pace by keep running and covering up for each other both offensively and defensively in addition to their individual skills. Kamimura, on the other hand, are very active up front in putting early pressure and keep attacking aggressively from the sides and dominate matches overall. They both have outrun their past opponents in this tournament as well, and there is no wonder that the final will see a battle of wills and endless efforts.

The showdown is scheduled to kick-off at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday 10 January at Noevir Stadium Kobe.