On Saturday 19 December, day one of the JFA 25th U-15 Japan Women's Football Championship quarterfinals took place at Wave Stadium Kariya in Aichi.

Pick-up Match1

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Junior Youth 2-0 (0-0, 2-0) FC Jumonji VENTUS U-15

The first fixture featured a match up between two Saitama teams, as Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Junior Youth (Kanto2/Saitama) squared off against FC Jumonji VENTUS U-15 (Kanto7/Saitama). The match started with Urawa taking the initiative, as TAKAHASHI Hikari created an early chance, setting up the shot of MAEHARA Yoshino in the seventh minute. The two players combined again in the 14th minute, but both attempts were denied by the Jumonji defence.

After entering halftime scoreless, Urawa continued to control the match in the second half. Despite the tenacious defensive efforts showcased by the Jumonji side, the deadlock was broken in the 50th minute, when Maehara broke into the penalty area with a one-two pass with SATO Miu, as the striker dribbled passed the opposing GK to score the opening goal. With momentum on their side, Urawa continued to apply pressure. In the 80th minute, TAKEUCHI Ami struck a superb shot from distance to score the team’s second goal, sending Urawa to the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory.

Pick-up Match2

Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara Avvenire 2-0 (0-0, 2-0) Fujieda Junshin SC Junior Youth

The second match was played between Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara Avvenire (Kanto1/Kanagawa) and Fujieda Junshin SC Junior Youth (Tokai4/Shizuoka). Although it was Nojima Stella who created close opportunities in the early minutes, the Fujieda Junshin defence made tremendous efforts to defend their goal. In the 16th minute, Nojima Stella’s KIRYU Aki broke into the goal area and struck a shot, but her effort was denied by OKAZAKI Miku, who made a sliding effort to block the shot. In the 35th minute, ONO Kaho tried her luck from distance, striking a shot that went over the Fujieda Junshin GK, but this time OKAZAKI Mizuki made the save to keep the clean sheet intact.

The second half saw Fujieda Junshin apply more pressure from their front line, but Nojima Stella made aggressive approaches from the flanks to threaten the opposing goal. The opener came in the 69th minute, when Nojima Stella’s SASAI Yua drove in a shot from distance to give the Kanagawa side their long awaited lead. Just six minutes later, OKAMURA Madoka converted a cross delivered from the right side to double Nojima’s lead, as the match ended 2-0, Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara Avvenire earned their way into the semi-finals.

Players' Comments

MAEHARA Yoshino (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Junior Youth)
We made attempts to deliver crosses from the flanks, but our opponents showed great efforts to deny our shooting opportunities. In the first half, I was holding the ball too long, so I focused on keeping my plays simple in the second half. I am glad that I was able to score a goal from that approach. Although we had limited time to work as a team this year, we have been working hard for this tournament since resuming our trainings. I will continue to score goals and help the team defend the title.

SHIRAKI Ririka (FC Jumonji VENTUS U-15)
We knew we were facing a strong opponent, so we tried to enter the match with plenty of enthusiasm. We had the tendency of losing the second ball in last week’s match, so our coach told us to stay aggressive until we win the ball. It felt like we managed to showcase good defence in the first half. When I first entered this school, we were a team that could not even make the Kanto tournament. We don’t have a player that can change the game singlehandedly, so we focused on moving the ball as a team. That approach has allowed us to reach the national tournament this year, and we are very proud of that feat.

SASAI Yua (Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara Avvenire)
Although we created plenty of opportunities in the first half, we lacked quality to convert the chances, so I was committed to scoring a goal if I was given the opportunity to play on the pitch. Although we manged to win the match, our opponent was communicating more than us in the first half, and our team’s vibe was not so great, so we hope to improve ourselves in that aspect. We have great competition within the team this year. Everybody on this team is competing for the starting position and it keeps us very motivated. We will continue to work hard as a team and strive to win the title.

NAGATA Iroha (Fujieda Junshin SC Junior Youth)
Last year, we were very disappointed because we missed our opportunity to play in the national tournament. We told each other that we will do whatever it takes to reach the quarterfinals this year, and it was great that we managed to reach the quarterfinals with this team. Although they were not allowed to cheer on us, due to the precautionary measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19, our team members were all watching us from the stands today. The players on the bench also supported us throughout the match. We are so grateful towards everyone who has made this tournament possible and our coaches for their support.

JFA 25th U-15 Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament duration: Sat. 12 - Mon. 28 December 2020

Tournament Information