On Sunday 24 November, eight second round fixtures of the Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship took place at various locations. At Niigata Athletic Stadium, a match between two collegiate teams and another match between two second division teams from the Nadeshiko League clashed.

Pick-up Match1

Nittaidai FIELDS Yokohama (Nadeshiko1/Kanagawa) 1-0 (0-0, 1-0) Waseda University (Kanto/Tokyo)

Ahead of the match, Waseda University’s coach KAWAKAMI Yoshio mentioned, “The opponent plays at the Nadeshiko League and they are used to playing under intense pressure, so we must show our aggression to win the ball.”

The players of Waseda University followed their coach’s words and showed great aggression from the early minutes. An early opportunity was created when KURATA Akari broke through the left flank before sending a cross, allowing YAMADA Nina and TAKASE Hana to take a shot. As coach Kawakami anticipated, the Waseda side showcased great side attacks through their fullbacks, Kurata and NAKATA Yuki, to threaten the opposing goal.

While it was Waseda University who took the initiative in the early minutes, led by HASHITANI Suguri, Nittaidai FIELDS showcased a solid performance in defence to keep the opponents from scoring a goal, as coach KUSUNOSE Naoki mentioned, “Our defence has become consistent from our experience at the Nadeshiko League.”

Following their return from the U-19 Japan Women’s National Team, WATANABE Mai and MIURA Haruka have become the key players for Nittaidai FIELDS, as Miura reflected on her own development as a player, “I am more confident with my plays and I am eager to implement what I have learned at the national team to help this team.”

After the match entered the second half scoreless, the deadlock was broken in the 65th minute, when Miura delivered a fast driven cross towards the goal. With Waseda’s goalkeeper fumbling the ball, Nittaidai’s team captain SHIMADA Chiaki converted the loose ball, scoring what it turned out to be the game winner of this match.

Pick-up Match2

Orca Kamogawa FC (Nadeshiko2/Chiba) 1-0 (0-0, 1-0) AS Harima Albion (Nadeshiko2/Hyogo)

The second fixture taking place at Niigata was a match between two second division teams from the Nadeshiko League, Orca Kamogawa FC and AS Harima Albion. While Orca finished fourth, AS Harima finished sixth in the league this season. In their head to head matches, Orca had the upper-hand, as they won 4-0 at home and drew 0-0 away against AS Harima.

Despite the favourable fixture, Orca’s coach YAMAZAKI Makoto remained altered, “AS Harima has one of the strongest offence in Nadeshiko division two (second only to Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies). They got even stronger during the second half of the season, as they got back their injured players.”

As coach Yamazaki suspected, it was the Harima side who took the initiative in the early minutes, as their attackers, SHINBORI Kanami and CHIBA Sonoko, made numbers of runs to threaten the Orca goal. With KATSURAMA Fumina switching her position with UCHIDA Misuzu mid-way through the first half, AS Harima increased their pressure upfront to create multiple opportunities.

“It’s not an overstatement to say that we have spent all of our time working on our defence. In order to compete against strong teams, defence is the most important aspect of our game.” The words spoken by coach Yamazaki was backed up by their team conceding the least goals at the Nadeshiko division two this season, and led by TSURUMI Ayaka, the Orca defence showcased their effectiveness in this match as well.

With Orca showing great persistency in defence, AS Harima started to run out of gas towards the end of the second half, and the long awaited moment came in the 88th minute. The play started with Orca’s SAITO Ayaka breaking through the right flank to deliver a pass towards NAKASHIMA Yoshino, who controlled the ball under pressure before sending the final pass to allow URASHIMA Risa to slot the ball into the net, giving Orca the game winning goal.

Coaches and Player’s Comments

MIURA Haruka (Nittaidai FIELDS Yokohama)
This was a match between two collegiate teams, but with our experience at the first division of the Nadeshiko League, we felt obligated to win this match. Although my playing time was limited when I was with the U-19 Japan Women’s National Team, I still managed to showcase a solid performance when I was given time on the pitch. Through the experience with the national team, I was able to obtain the experience to play under intense pressure and great speed exerted by foreign teams. My greatest weapon is my speed, so I focused on making runs that would exploit the opponent’s weaknesses.

KAWAKAMI Yoshio, Coach (Waseda University)
Our opponent showcased intense pressure and great focus throughout the match. We managed to put up a good fight by utilising the width of the field, but it was unfortunate that we couldn’t score any goals. I feel like we were able to showcase a positive performance overall. Although we lost the match, we were still able to take back a positive experience today.

YAMAZAKI Makoto, Coach (Orca Kamogawa FC)
We knew this was going to be a tough match. Our main focus was on how to stop the Harima offence and we were able to win the match because our players did a great job to execute our game plan. We don’t have a super star on our team, nor do we have the gun power to dominate the opponents. Our strengths lie on our ability to work hard as a team. Every player on this roster has fought for the team and the reserve players should be given the credit to keep themselves prepared to help the team earn this victory.

TABUCHI Keiji, Coach (AS Harima Albion)
Knowing how Orca was going to play against us, we executed our usual game plan and tired to lure our opponents into our pace. Our wingers made their own decision to switch sides, which is something I have always told them to do depending on the situation of the game. Shinbori made numbers of great runs upfront, and she just need to become able to capitalise on those opportunities. She is only 20 years old, so I want her to learn from this experience to become a better player. Chiba looked tired at the end, but we have no players who can replace her, so she had to endure that burden. I am feeling that we must construct a new offensive system for the next season.

Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament Dates: Sat. 2 November - Sun. 29 December 2019
【1st Round】Sat. 2 & Sun. 3 November
【2nd Round】Sat. 23 & Sun. 24 November
【3rd Round】Sat. 30 November & Sun. 1 December
【Quarterfinals】Sun. 8 December
【Semi-Finals】Sun. 22 December
【Final】Sun. 29 December

Tournament Information