The second round of the 31st All Japan High School Women's Football Championship took place on Saturday 31 December.

Featured Match 1

Kyoto Seika Gakuen High School 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Takagawa Gakuen High Scool

The first match played at Miki Sogo Bosai Park featured Kyoto Seika Gakuen High School (Kansai 4/Kyoto) and Takagawa Gakuen High Scool (Chugoku 3/Yamaguchi). The match started with Kyoto Seika Gakuen showing great pass work to keep the ball moving, but it was Takagawa Gakuen who scored the first goal, with SHIMOMURA Sena converting a corner kick in the 14th minute.

In efforts to equalise the match, Kyoto Seika Gakuen made numerous attempts to create chances, but couldn’t find ways to break down the opposing defence. Then, in the 67th minute, Takagawa Gakuen once again capitalised on a corner kick, this time with MATSUMURA Fuka firing a powerful shot into the net.

Although it was the Kyoto side who recorded more shots, Takagawa Gakuen advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory.

Featured Match 2

AICJ High School 1-0 (1-0, 0-0) Himeji International School

The second match played at Miki Sogo Bosai Park was between AICJ High School (Chugoku 2/Hiroshima) and Himeji International School (Host/Hyogo). The players of AICJ interchanged positions in midfield, while the defenders made number of overlapping runs to add layers to their offence, and their efforts came to fruition during additional time of the first half, when HIGUCHI Mika scored off a corner kick to put the Hiroshima side ahead before halftime.

After being kept to just one shot in the first half, Himeji International used their substitutes during the break to change the dynamics of the match. However, their offence continued to be contained by the opposing defence, and despite firing three shots in the second half, the Hyogo side was kept scoreless, as AICJが1-0 advanced through with a 1-0 shutout victory.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MATSUMURA Fuka (Takagawa Gakuen High Scool)
Although we had been striving to achieve our goal of reaching the quarterfinals at this tournament, this win came as a surprise for us. However, everyone believed we could win throughout the match, and I believe that contributed to this result. We started off the match in great shape, but toward the end of the first half, we gave up a number of close opportunities to our opponents. During halftime, our coach told us that we can play a higher level of football, which helped us step up our game in the second half. We will continue to give our best in the next match.

YAMAMOTO Kosuke, Coach (Kyoto Seika Gakuen High School)
Although this is a disappointing result, I feel like we were able to display the football style we had been working on. Since their first year of junior high school, most of these players have played together for six years, and they put on a fantastic performance that kept the spectators entertained. All the teams competing in this tournament are aiming to win the national title, and we wanted to spend as much time as possible with the third-year players, who will be leaving the team after this tournament. I am satisfied with the fact that we were able to demonstrate the style we have been working on. I hope the players will build on this experience and do their best to go one step higher.

KUWAHARA Ai (AICJ High School)
We were unable to control the ball and take the initiative of the match. We also struggled to deal with our opponents’ collective defensive approach, in which they had two or three players applying pressure to the ball holder. We had been putting in a lot of effort to improve our passing football and had also spent a lot of time practising corner kicks. Our coach has given us a lot of ideas to arrange our set-pieces, so we are always looking forward to taking them. We will be facing an opponent (Sakuyo High School) we have lost to in the Chugoku qualifiers, so we hope to have our revenge to play at Noevir Stadium Kobe.

YONEZU Miwa, Coach (Himeji International School)
I knew we had a talented group, but I was surprised to see how much they have improved over the years. The ability to play with tenacity is our strong point, and the players have shown great collective efforts in both offence and defence. Since assuming this coaching job, I have always stressed the importance of showcasing an entertaining performance for the crowd, and in that sense, I believe that we have given a perfect performance. We have made a lasting impression in the two matches we played in this tournament, and I told the players that this was a wonderful year for us. The seniors have been great role models for the younger players.

The 31st All Japan High School Women's Football Championship

Tournament Dates: Fri. 30 December 2022 - Sun. 8 January 2023
Venues: Miki Sogo Bosai Park, Goshikidai Sports Park, Ibuki Forest Football Ground, Noevir Stadium Kobe
*All in Hyogo Prefecture

Tournament Information