"The 24th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship" will be held on Sunday 3 January in Hyogo. We’d like to review the previous tournament prior to the start.

In the 23rd championship, 31 teams from nine regions throughout the country as well as a team from the host area, Hyogo, played in the knockout stage to decide the winner.

One semi-final was between Hinomoto Gakuen Senior High School (Kansai 1/Hyogo) and Murata Girls' High School (Kanto 1/Tokyo), while the other was between Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (Tohoku 1/Miyagi) and Fujieda Junshin High School (Tokai 1/Shizuoka).

Hinomoto Gakuen, who aimed to become back-to-back champions, struggled to attack against Murata Girls in the first half. However, after IKEJIRI Mayu struck the opener in the 74th minute, the team picked up their pace in attack. They scored in the 77th and 80th minute, winning the game 3-0. 

The match between one of the strongest teams, Tokiwagi Gakuen, and Fujieda Junshin, who were finalists in the 22nd championship, was exciting from the beginning. The game stayed scoreless throughout the first half, and KONO Fuka from Fujieda Junshin struck the opener in 78th minutes. After one minute of injury time, when Fujieda Junshin was about to win the game, SHIRAKI Akari from Tokiwagi Gakuen levelled the match with her left foot. Tokiwagi Gakuen won on penalties 5-4, advancing to the final.

The final was between two teams, who have been regulars on the podium since the 17th championship. The match was very close and competitive. At the beginning of the game, although Hinomoto Gakuen showed their ambition for goals with IKEJIRI’s shot, which powered off the crossbar, the goalkeeper ONO Asuka of Tokiwagi Gakuen defended tenaciously in front of the goal, keeping a clean sheet. 

In the second half, while both teams attacked and defended quickly in turn, Tokiwagi Gakuen gradually increased their attacking opportunities. After 90 minutes, just before the final whistle, SUGIHARA Haruna, who reacted to a pass from KOBAYASHI Rikako, fired a shot, only for it to hit the goalpost. The team was just one step away from finding the back of the net.

Neither team could decide the game even during extra time because of solid defence from both sides, and the game went to penalties. Hinomoto Gakuen won the tournament with four successful shots, and became back-to-back champions in the process. The goalkeeper KITSUKI Yui, who contributed to the team’s victory, noted: "as the teammates devoted their full strength to defence, I was determined to save all the penalties to lead the team to victory."

In the 24th championship, Hinomoto Gakuen, who aim to win three consecutive tournaments, will meet Tokiwagi Gakuen, who have won four championships in seven years, in the opening match. The championship will start with exciting games. 

The 24th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship

Sun. 3 January - Sun. 10 January 2016
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