The JFA 25th U-15 Japan Women's Football Championship kicked-off on Saturday 12 December, where 32 regional representatives played their first round matches.

Pick-up Match1

JFA Academy Fukushima 9-1 (5-0, 4-1) casa okinawa ale

The first match held at Iwata, Shizuoka was between JFA Academy Fukushima (Tokai1/Shizuoka), who won the tournament two years ago, and tournament debutante Casa Okinawa Ale (Kyushu3/Okinawa).

The match started with Academy Fukushima taking the initiative with TANIKAWA Momoko assisting the goal of KIMURA Miki in the seventh minute. Casa Okinawa responded with a shot taken by YONAHA Hana, but her attempt could not capture the target.

With Academy Fukushima showing their dominance, Tanikawa scored back to back goals in the 16th and 21st minute, followed by Kimura and TSUTSUI Matsuri scoring a goal each in the 27th and 34th minute respectively, to make it 5-0 at halftime.

Leading by five goals, Academy Fukushima dropped Tanikawa into the defensive midfield position, who opened the action in the second half by scoring her third goal of the match in the 50th minute. Kimura also marked a hat-trick in this match, as she scored her third goal in the 51st minute.

Casa Okinawa’s only goal came in the 63rd minute when MATSUDA Ruriko carried the ball up the field to assist the goal of UEHARA Runa. With the Academy side showcasing their dominance throughout the match, Academy Fukushima advanced to the second round with a 9-1 victory.

Pick-up Match2

Hokkaido Lira Consadole 2-3 (1-1, 1-2) Tokushima Lateesha

The second fixture of the day featured a matchup between Hokkaido Lira Consadole (Hokkaido2/Hokkaido2) and Tokushima Lateesha (Shikoku1/Tokushima).

Just as coach OTA Hiroshi told his players before the match, “Go wild out there,” Tokushima’s SUGIMOTO Yukina capitalised on an opponent’s mistake to score the opening goal in the first minute. Despite conceding an early goal, the Hokkaido side responded in the 15th minute, as the shot taken by TAKAHASHI Kurumi shook the net to equalise the match.

In the 51st minute, TAKAI Sarasa showcased a spectacular individual effort to give Tokushima the lead once again, but Hokkaido’s FUJII Miyu responded just five minutes later to level the match.

After seeing both sides struggling to convert their opportunities, Tokushima’s captain OKADA Aoi broke through the left flank and delivered a cross towards the centre, allowing Taki to score her second goal of the match that gave Tokushima their third lead of the match. This goal turned out to be the decisive goal, as Tokushima advanced to the second round with a 3-2 victory.

Coach and Players' Comments

TANIKAWA Momoko (JFA Academy Fukushima)
We were able to take the initiative of the match by applying aggressive pressure from our frontline. I was anticipating to score goals at all times, so I am happy that I was able to score goals in this match. Our team looked tired in the second half, so I tried to keep our momentum going by taking lots of shots. Our goal is to win the tournament title, while my personal goal is to score many goals. We will continue to give our best efforts to win the next match.

SHIOKAWA Koharu (casa okinawa ale)
We were anticipating to apply pressure from the frontline to win the ball possession. Despite losing this match by a large margin, we were able to showcase the football style we have been striving for. Especially in the second half, we managed to keep the ball moving and play our usual football. We took a lot of shots at the beginning of the match, but we need to improve the accuracy of our shots, and also work on our fundamentals. This is only our second year as a team, and our motto is to have fun while winning matches. This was a great learning experience for us, and we hope to make the most of this loss.

KONTANI Aroe (Hokkaido Lira Consadole)
We all gave our best efforts to showcase what we have been working on, but we lacked focus at times, which led to those conceded goals. We were caught by surprise when we conceded that opening goal, but we managed to gather our composure to equalise during the first half. We struggled against our opponent’s runs down the line, but we were able to make adjustments as the match progressed. I think Tokushima had the upper-hand in terms of stamina, too.

OTA Hiroshi, Coach (Tokushima Lateesha)
If we were more critical at the final third, this could have been a much easier game for us, but our players worked hard until the end, so I am proud of them. We have done everything to prepare ourselves for this match, so I just told my players to “Go wild” on the pitch. They showed great aggression to make attempts at goal and to win the ball possession from our opponent. The quarterfinal is the deepest we have gotten at a national tournament, so we hope to make a deeper run this year. Our next opponent is Academy Fukushima. We will enter the match with a challenger’s mentality and showcase a performance that can really irritate our opponent.

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

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

Tournament Information