A total of six remaining matchups in the first round of the 36th Empress' Cup All Japan Women's Football Championship were played on 30 Nov around the nation.

Pickup Match 1

Angeviolet Hiroshima (Chugoku 1/Hiroshima)　2-1（First half 1-1、second half 1-0）　Norddea Hokkaido (Hokkaido) 

In the first match held in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Angeviolet Hiroshima and Norddea Hokkaido squared off against each other. It was Hiroshima who struck first. They passed the ball around in the opponents' territory, but once returned it backward. But then TAKEDA Yuki launched a strong shot from around the halfway line. The shot by the defender, who's usually known for her passing ability, went over the Hokkaido goalkeeper's head into the goal.

Hokkaido, afterward, played with tenacious defence and looked for chances as they connected the ball with YAMAZAKI Yuuna and NARUMI Wakana. On 21st minute, Yamazaki dribbled to sneak into the penalty box and was fouled to earn a penalty shot. MINATO Akiho made the kick to tie the game before halftime.

In the second half, while Hiroshima aggressively had their attacks, Hokkaido looked for the situations would turn in favor for themselves, substituting the players and switching their positions. But it was Hiroshima who took a lead. Partially because of good saves by Hokkaido's goalkeeper, WATANABE Azusa, Angeviolet had tough times netting a goal, but on 73rd, a long shot launched by SAIHARA Mizuki hit the cross bar. The ball actually dropped right below the bar, and ICHIKAWA Sonoka put it into the net to give Hiroshima a 2-1 lead. Hiroshima wouldn't let loose afterward and ended up taking the victory.

Match detail (Japanese version only) 

Pickup Match 2

JFA Academy Fukushima (Tohoku2/Fukushima）　3-0（1st 1-0,2nd 2-0）　Fukuoka J Anclas (Kyushu1/Fukuoka)

In the second contest at Suzuka, JFA Academy Fukushima, who are in the annual tourney for the seventh straight year, took on Fukuoka J Anclas. Fukushima tried to capture Anclas' defence by connecting quick passes from early on. After Fukushima missed some close scoring situations, they got on the scoreboard before the first half ended. A corner kick shot by KITAGAWA Hikaru deflected back before himself, and he fired a shot with his left foot. The shot, with no spins, netted the goal.

And early in the second half, Academy Fukushima extended their lead. ENDO Jun received a long ball from the defensive line and he fed it to OKUMA Rana. Okuma made fantastic turn and launched a blazing shot and it successfully netted into the goal. Fukushima made it up by three goals with a goal by MIZUTANI Yukuki on 73rd.

For Fukuoka, FUKUI Shihori, who came onto the pitch as a substitute, made some close shots, but the team weren't able to score. Academy Fukushima advanced to the second round with a 3-0 win.

Match detail (Japanese version only) 

Other results

AS Harima Albion (Kansai2/Hyogo)　3-0 (1st 2-0, 2nd 1-0)　Shimizudaihachi Pleiades (Tokai2/Shizuoka)
Fujieda Junshin High School (Tokai1/Shizuoka)　5-0 (1st 2-0, 2nd 3-0)　Himeji Dokkyo University (Kansai1/Hyogo)
Albirex Niigata Ladies U-18 (Hokushinetsu 2/Niigata)　0-6（1st 0-1, 2nd 0-5）　Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (Tohoku1/Miyagi)
JAPAN SOCCER COLLEGE LADIES (Hokushinetsu1/Niigata)　0-2 (1st 0-0, 2nd 0-2）　Nippon Sports Science University (Kanto2/Kanagawa)

Comments

ARITA Hitoe (Norddea Hokkaido)
This tournament is an important stage for us to know how much we can play with what we have accumulated in our Hokkaido league. I think that in terms of our individual speed and patient defence, we did, but we had little time to intentionally get the ball and play on our own pace, and that's our issue. It ended up being a good experience for us to acknowledge where we are b playing against a Challenge League team, but it's also frustrating that we weren't able to come up with any positive result. We wanted to play against a Nadeshiko League team.

TAKEDA Yuki (Angeviolet Hiroshima)
On the first goal, I was watching their goalkeeper was coming a little forward. Since I had been told by our coach to have shots if I had a chance, I was looking to take a shot right there, and I usually try to see far spots when I have the ball, so I just tried to put up my favorite play. Our team has played more smoothly and I think we're growing as a team as each member is communicating with each other on what she wants to do. Because we knew we'd play at home in the second round game if we were going to win the first round game, we played hoping to play before our home crowds once again.

KITAGAWA Hikaru (JFA Academy Fukushima)
On the game first goal, because their goalkeeper was coming off the goal a little bit, I thought a strong low shot may get in, so I did that. Our head coach told us that the players on the sides could create chances on their own, and me, being a Centre back, I was able to have one play that I joined our offensive attack and took a shot. In this past one month, we worked on building up our stamina, by playing with boys' teams, and it paid off. The Empress' Cup is such an important tournament for us. For our senior players, this will be their last tournament to play, so we'll do our best to make the final four.

HANADA Aiko (Fukuoka J Anclas)
I lost the ball right after I robbed it. It made the duration of our defence longer, and as a result, I wasn't able to put out what I'd worked on in practices for our offensive occasions. Because we weren't able to accumulate wins in the Challenge League, I thought we'd have to have some positive outcomes in the Empress' Cup. We set our goal to advance to the quarterfinals but got eliminated in our first game, so it's really frustrating and feel sorry for those who've supported us. Each of us lacks something, so we need to work harder so we'll have better chance next year.

The 36th Empress's Cup

Sat.29 November 2014 - Thu. 1 January 2015
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