On Sunday 26 August, the semi-finals and final of the 14th All Japan University Futsal Championship took place.

The two semi-final matches that kicked-off at 9:30 am turned out to be very intense battles.

One side of the bracket featured a matchup from last year’s final where Osaka Seikei University futsal club (Host region/Osaka) and Juntendo University futsal club GAZIL/JFC (Kanto1/Chiba) faced each other. It was Osaka Seikei University who opened the scoring when NAKAI Shunto converted a short counter in the 7th minute, but Juntendo University managed to level the match during the first half. The score line did not move until the last five minutes of the match, as Juntendo University’s AKAHORI Kaiji scored the go-ahead goal, but it was soon matched when Osaka Seikei University executed their power play to level the scores in the closing seconds of the match. With momentum on their side, Osaka Seikei University sought for revenge in penalty kicks, but failed to come through, as Juntendo University bested the Osaka side 2-1 in penalties. With this victory Juntendo University has now beaten Osaka Seikei University three years straight at this championship.

The other side of the bracket was fought between Doshisha University futsal club TREBOL (Kansai/Kyoto) and Keio University Soccer Team (Kanto2/Tokyo). Keio University who was searching for the title in their first attempt at the national championship, scored the opening goal in the 7th minute. After losing in last year’s semi-final, Doshisha University returned to the same stage, as they rallied back in the 9th and 15th minute to take the lead. The Keio side levelled the match just before halftime to send the match into the second half with a score of 2-2. The two team’s patience were tested in the second half, as the two captains, Doshisha University’s YAGI Norihiro and Keio University’s KOJIMA Riku led their teams to showcase great defence. With both teams failing to take the lead, the match was decided by penalty kicks where Keio University prevailed after all three of their spot takers converted their shots.

As a result, the final of this year’s national championship featured the same matchup from the Kanto qualifiers as Juntendo University and Keio University squared off. In this match, the defending champions showcased their dominance. Juntendo University led the scorings in the fourth minute, when OBATA Shinji captured the first goal, the team went onto score two more goals in the first half. With half of their members taking part in a football activity at Ibaraki until the day prior to this championship, Keio University were too fatigued to put up a fight. Juntendo University extended their lead to four goals at the beginning of the second half, before seeing a rally by Keio University towards the end of the match, where they scored back two goals, but WATANABE Toshio added another goal to Juntendo University’s tally to seal the deal. Juntendo University won the match with a final score of 6-3 and won their third consecutive collegiate national title.

Tournament Results

Champions
Juntendo University futsal club GAZIL/JFC (Kanto1/Chiba)

Runners-up
Keio University Soccer Team (Kanto2/Tokyo)

3rd Place
Osaka Seikei University futsal club (Host region/Osaka)
Doshisha University futsal club TREBOL (Kansai/Kyoto)

Fair-play Award
Juntendo University futsal club GAZIL/JFC

Coach and Players' Comments

KONUMA Masahito (Juntendo University futsal club GAZIL/JFC)
We were a little rattled towards the end when our opponents rallied back, but we managed to win with a comfortable lead. With our third consecutive title at stake, there was a huge pressure on us, but that pressure fuelled us to strive higher. Our team has seen a major change of players since last year and this year we had a totally new team. The secret to our success was definitely our team work. The entire team was having a good time, regardless of their playing time. No one has won the title four years straight, so I hope our team can accomplish that feat.

OBATA Shinji (Juntendo University futsal club GAZIL/JFC)
It’s hard to put this in words, but nonetheless I am truly happy. I didn’t mention this prior to the match, but I was so overwhelmed by the pressure that I was feeling sick this morning. I wanted to take an emphasis on scoring goals this year, so that has translated to my first goal today. There have been no teams who has won the national championship four years in a row, so I hope the younger players will accomplish that feat by showcasing the style of futsal.

SHINOHE Norihide, Coach (Keio University Soccer Team)
The Juntendo University side were so composed even at this stage. They created opportunities in a good rhythm and managed to convert their chances when they had to. We failed to manage our conditions for this tournament, as we had scheduled tours and training camps prior to this tournament. That is why we entered the match with a passive approach, and we were anticipating to go aggressively in the second half, but we allowed too many goals by the time we managed to rally back. Keio University Soccer Team will continue to participate in this tournament. Our goal is to win this collegiate title as soon as possible. We failed to take the title in our first attempt, but we will return next year to win it. We will continue to strive in both football and futsal from now on.

HASHINO Tsukasa (Osaka Seikei University futsal club)
Two years ago, I was watching our match against Juntendo University from the stands, while I experienced the bitter loss on the court last year. So, this year I worked very hard to redeem myself against the GAZILs. Although we managed to score the opening goal, we failed to convert our chances that followed and gave up the initiative to our opponents. The equaliser scored in the final 11 seconds of the match was a shot that I took to leave no regrets. However, we once again came short from winning against Juntendo University. It made us realise how hard it is to win the national title. This is my third year, so I still have one more chance left. I will continue to work had so that we can earn a victory against the GAZILs.

Sun. 26 August: Final Highlights

Sun. 26 August: Semi-final Highlights

The 14th All Japan University Futsal Championship

Tournament Dates: Fri. 24 - Sun. 26 August 2018
Tournament Venue: Kishiwada City Gymnasium, Osaka
Tournament Information