The second round of the 31st All Japan High School Women's Football Championship took place on Saturday 31 December.

Featured Match 1

Maruoka High School 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa High School

The match between Maruoka High School (Fukui) and Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa High School (Chiba) held at Kashiwanoha Park Stadium progressed with Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa dictating the pace, as coach NEBIKI Kensuke reflected, “The opponents had good players upfront, so we focused on containing them.” The Kashiwa side maintained excellent composure to contain the Maruoka offence, and their midfielders, led by UEKI Shogo, won possession of the ball to launch their attacks by passing the ball to OWIE William.

The opening goal came in the 22nd minute, when AIHARA Hiroto launched a long ball to initiate a counterattack following a corner kick. The delivery induced an errant clearance by the Maruoka defence, allowing FURUYA Shusuke to slot the ball into the open net to give Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa the lead.

Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa continued to demonstrate their dominance in the second half, as coach Nebiki commented, “Owie and Yoshida were able to take advantage of the mismatch, and we were able to capitalise on the areas where we had the edge as a team.” Despite the tenacious efforts made by Maruoka, Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa doubled their lead in the 77th minute, when KATANO Hiraku converted the deflection of a shot taken by MORITA Shuto, as the Kashiwa side advanced to the third round with a 2-0 victory.

Featured Match 2

North Asia University Meioh High School 0-1 (0-1, 0-0) Iizuka High School

The second match played at Kashiwanoha Park Stadium featured two seeded teams, North Asia University Meioh High School (Akita) and Iizuka High School (Fukuoka). As coach HARA Yoshihiko mentioned, “Teams like ours that lack super players must rely on their combined strength and mobility to cover for each other,” Meioh showed great coverage to contain two of Iizuka’s key players, IKEDA Hiromu and YOSHINO Kaito. In offence, ONO Ryosuke and SATO Takumi led the way to create chances for the Akita side, but Iizuka also displayed great concentration to prevent their opponents from breaching the final line.

After creating a few close opportunities from set-pieces, Iizuka scored the opening goal in the 40th minute, when Ikeda broke through the left side to deliver a cross that was converted by HARA Shosei. With the one goal lead, Iizuka shifted their focus on defence, as coach NAKATSUJI Yoshinori later reflected, “From the way we performed today, we had no option but to defend the lead, while anticipating for our chances to counter.” Following a scoreless second half, Iizuka earned their first win in their first ever appearance at the championship to reach the next round.

Coaches and Players' Comments

NEBIKI Kensuke, Coach (Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa High School)
Although we were fortunate to score the opening goal, we were prepared for it because we constantly looked for our opportunities to counter from the opponents' corner kicks. I believe that this outcome is the result of all the effort we put forth throughout the year. Katano really showed his colour to score the second goal for us. With the matches being played every other day, we must recoup ourselves to prepare for our next match.

YAMADA Kenta (Maruoka High School)
If felt like we were being analysed by our opponents after we reached the round of 16 at the Inter-High School Championships in the summer. That being said, we didn’t have what it takes to win against teams who were prepared to play against us. It was a match that really exposed our shortcomings. I will be playing football in college, so I want to make the most of this opportunity to improve as a player. I'm hoping the younger players will also benefit from this experience and return to this stage next year.

KATAYAMA Keisuke (Iizuka High School)
The atmosphere at the venue was entirely different from that of the prefectural tournament because there was a brass band playing in the crowd and spectators were allowed to cheer. We initially struggled to play at our own pace, possibly because we were nervous, but in the second half, everyone spoke up and played attentively. I am glad we were able to defend the one goal lead. There are no easy matches at this national competition. We will be playing an away match against Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa High School in the third round, but we will approach every match as if they were the final.

HARA Yoshihiko, Coach (North Asia University Meioh High School)
Despite the fact that we lost the game, we never gave up. The players were extremely aggressive in their pursuit of the ball and a goal. They gave it their all to try to score because they knew how much I detested losing 1-0. I hope the players will make the most of this experience to improve as players. Once we return to Akita, we will have to deal with the snowy weather, but we must make each day count in order to succeed at the national stage.

The 101st All Japan High School Soccer Tournament

Tournament Dates: Wed. 28 December 2022 - Mon. 9 January 2023

Tournament Information