The second round of the Empress's Cup JFA 44th Japan Women's Football Championship started on Saturday 3 December. Two of the matches played at Nitto Shinko Stadium Maruoka both went into extra time.

Featured Match 1

Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies 0-0 (0-0, 0-0, Ex: 0-0, 0-0, PK: 5-4) Shizuoka SSU Bonita

The match between Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies (Nadeshiko 1/Osaka), last year's semi-finalists who finished fourth in the Nadeshiko League Division 1, and Shizuoka SSU Bonita (Tokai 3/Shizuoka), winners of the Nadeshiko League Division 2, was a tense affair right to the very end.

Led by MOMONO Miyuka, who was named into the best eleven of the Nadeshiko League Division 1, and KOYAMA Shinomi, who made her Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) debut in October, Cerezo Osaka Sakai took the initiative from the early minutes. In the 13th minute, KITAHARA Shuka delivered a corner kick that ricocheted off the crossbar. A close opportunity was also created for Shizuoka when the shot taken by KANAMARU Shoko struck the crossbar.

As the clock ticked down, it was Cerezo Osaka Sakai who stepped up their offence, with TANAKA Tomoko coming off the bench in the second half and YOSHIZUMI Warai moving to a higher position in the hope of scoring. However, Shizuoka's defence, which conceded the fewest goals in the Nadeshiko League Division 2, held their ground to keep the score 0-0 and send the match into extra time.

Despite firing a total of 22 shots in 120 minutes, Cerezo Osaka Sakai fell short from finding the back of the net, as the match entered a penalty shootout. After seven rounds, it was Cerezo Osaka Sakai who prevailed at the end, winning the match 5-4.

Featured Match 2

AS Harima Albion 6-3 (2-1, 1-2, Ex: 2-0, 1-0) Fujieda Junshin High School

The match between AS Harima Albion (Nadeshiko 1/Hyogo), who finished a team record third in the Nadeshiko League Division 1, and five-time All Japan High School Women's Soccer Tournament winners Fujieda Junshin High School (Tokai 2/Shizuoka) turned out to be a fierce scoring contest.

After the two sides exchanged a goal apiece within the first five minutes, CHIBA Sonoko, who was named into the best eleven, top scorer, and league MVP of the Nadeshiko League Division 1, scored a goal to put AS Harima in the lead at halftime. In the second half, Fujieda Junshin displayed great pass work which led to back-to-back goals scored by MASANO Runa and HAMANO Koyuki to take the lead, but Chiba scored her second goal of the match to tie the score 3-3 and send the match into extra time.

Then it was AS Harima who showed their superiority in extra time. The Nadeshiko League side took the lead when NAKANO Rino converted a corner kick with a header, followed by a long range shot scored by SINBORI Kanami. With INOWAKI Akane adding another goal in the second half of extra time, AS Harima won the match 6-3.

Coach and Players' Comments

DF #4 TSUTSUI Riko (Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies)
The ability to score goals is something we need to improve on before the third round even though we have been able to possess the ball this season. Next time, we'll work to be more cautious, avoid showing any gaps, and score goals. Given that he has personally coached me for more than ten years and is retiring after this tournament, I would like to give my coach TAKEHANA Tomoya one last opportunity to hold the championship trophy at Yodoko Sakura Stadium.

GK #1 TAKAHASHI Miharu (Shizuoka SSU Bonita)
We wanted to take the initiative, but our opponents played faster and with greater skills, so we were forced to spend more time in defence. However, we were able to showcase great tenacity in front of the goal and our ability to win duels, which are something we have built over the season in the Nadeshiko League Division 2, where we won the title. We will be playing in Division 1 next season, so we will try to possess the ball longer and keep ourselves in sync with each other when passing the ball.

FW #10 CHIBA Sonoko (AS Harima Albion)
I thought we could maintain our rhythm because we didn't get off to a bad start in either the first or second half, but our opponents also got off to a good start, so it turned out to be a challenging match for us. I was able to showcase my strength by converting a cross to score my first goal, but the credit goes to my teammates for connecting the ball to that point. When I scored my second goal, the wind brought the ball back towards me in a favourable way. We will be facing another high school team in the next round, so we hope to showcase our superiority as a team from the Nadeshiko League Division 1.

NAKAMURA Kakeru, Coach (Fujieda Junshin High School)
A one-goal deficit at halftime was within our expectation, and we through our opponents will struggle playing against the wind in the second half. Being able to fight toe-to-toe against AS Harima, who finished third in the Nadeshiko League, gives us great confidence moving forward. The SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) have proven at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ that inferior teams can beat stronger opponents by exerting greater intensity level, and their performance has been a great inspiration for these high school kids, We hope to raise our standards and continue to work hard towards the All Japan High School Women's Soccer Tournament.

Empress's Cup JFA 44th Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament Duration: Sat. 26 November 2022 - Sat. 28 January 2023
【1st Round】Sat. 26, Sun. 27 November
【2nd Round】Sat. 3, Sun. 4 December
【3rd Round】Sat. 10, Sun. 11 December
【4th Round】Sat. 17, Sun. 18 December
【Quarterfinals】Sun. 15 January 2023
【Semi-Finals】Sun. 22 January 2023
【Final】Sun. 28 January 2023

Tournament Information