Pick-up Match

Shimizu S-pulse Youth　2-1（0-0, 2-1）Kashima Antlers Youth

Matchday 15 of the Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League EAST was held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October. Shimizu S-pulse Youth (Shizuoka) played against Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) on Sunday. 

The match was very competitive between Shimizu, who were keen to stay among the top teams, and Kashima, who aimed to remain in the league. Although the game started quietly, Shimizu, playing at home, gradually found their rhythm in attacks after 15 minutes.

In the 15th minute, midfielder MOCHIZUKI Riku of Shimizu broke through on the right side and crossed the ball to midfielder TAKI Yuta, where he took a shot, only for it to be saved superbly by Kashima’s goalkeeper ISHIKAWA Aoto. After 39 minutes, forward HIRATSUKA Jin struck at goal inside the penalty area, but it went over the crossbar.

Kashima, on the other hand, earned a free kick near the goal towards the left during injury time of the first half. Defender MATSUURA Koyo fired a sensational and strong shot, but Shimizu’s goalkeeper MIZUTANI Shunsuke saved it. Neither team found the back of the net, and the game stayed scoreless until halftime.

In the second half, Kashima sent forward OTSUKA Daisuke to replace the forward ISHIZU Hayato in order to improve their offence and press up front from the start. 

After 53 minutes, although forward SHINOZAKI Terukazu ran onto a through ball, Shimizu’s goalkeeper Mizutani once again blocked it with a well-timed dive. Kashima started to attack fiercely in the 58th minute. Midfielder SUDO Tsubasa ran towards the side and reacted to a cross from the right with a header. Midfielder ONUMA Tatsuki, who ran towards it, was taken down by the opponent and earned a penalty kick. Shinozaki calmly scored from the spot, striking the opener for Kashima.

As coach KUMAGAI Koji mentioned: ‘the players performed excellently in the first half and until the opener, but then the team became a little too passive’, Kashima had to focus on defence against a fiercely attacking Shimizu. 

HIRAOKA Hiroaki, the coach of Shimizu, saw this timing as an opportunity, and replaced Mochizuki and forward NAKANO Yuta with midfielder SUZUKI Kaito and forward NIIZEKI Seiya in the 61st minute. Substitution gradually invigorated the attack. 

In the 67th minute, Hiratsuka reacted to a cross from the right with a header. Then, in the 84th minute, Hiratsuka sent the ball to the centre from the right side near the goal line, where the unmarked Niizeki headed at the goal. Although both shots went wide, Shimizu repeatedly went close to Kashima’s goal.

Shortly after that, in the 79th minute, Hiratsuka received a forward pass from midfielder UMEMURA Go in the centre, drawing in the opponents’ defender, and send the ball to Suzuki who waiting in free space. Suzuki controlled the ball well and took a grounded shot calmly, which went into the right-hand corner of the goal, levelling the game. He later noted: ‘as the defender came towards me, I aimed to nutmeg him’. After building up momentum for Shimizu, Niizeki, who reacted to a cross from defender YOSHIDA Shun, scored on a header to turn the match around. 

The two players, who came off the bench, scored and brought Shimizu a 2-1 victory. The team is now six points behind Aomori Yamada High School in the lead on goal difference, keeping hope of winning the championship alive. Kashima, on the other hand, are in eighth place with a good possibility to stay in the league. However, Albirex Niigata U-18 in ninth place are only five points behind them and the team cannot be too optimistic. As coach KUMAGAI Koji said: ‘this result wasn’t too bad for us in order to remain in the league’, the team’s condition has been improving, and they are staying positive to achieve their aim (of avoiding relegation).

Matchday 16. of the Premier League will be held on Sunday 27 November after a two-month break.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

HIRAOKA Hiroaki, Coach (Shimizu S-pulse Youth)
The players performed hard despite the fact that captain TATSUTA Yugo, who had been leading the team, unfortunately could not be on the pitch. I believe his spirit encouraged the team. I think since we simply aimed at the space behind the wingbacks, eliminating the opponents’ pressure up front during the first 10 minutes, we could gradually find our rhythm to build up from the middle of the field. Thanks to the team’s improvement, now we can pursue the leader. The players have improved more than I expected. Becoming the finalists in the Club Youth Football Championship in summer brought them huge confidence.

HIRATSUKA Jin (Shimizu S-pulse Youth)
I was confident that we could stay physically competitive. I believed I could draw the opponents by playing in front of the centre back today and create some space. In regards to the play where I assisted the first goal, although first I thought to turn around to take a shot, my posture was too awkward. As I saw SUZUKI Kaito was coming, I passed the ball to him. I’d like to perform the same in the coming games, bringing the ball forward and showing some tactical plays.

SUZUKI Kaito (Shimizu S-pulse Youth)
As HIRATSUKA initiated attacks up front, the opponents became ‘ball-watchers’, allowing my position to become unmarked. So I played, thinking how I could receive the ball freely. It worked well, and I could score. As I haven’t got through the opponents on my own yet, I’d like to practice hard on that matter.

KUMAGAI Koji (Kashima Antlers Youth)
Although we started the game well, striking the opener, we could not take the initiative after that. We have improved our team since the start of the tournament, but we tend to get relieved with the opener and become demoralised when we concede a goal. There are many second graders in the team this year. They saw the team win the championship last year, and are now playing to remain in the league. What an experience to learn from! In the remaining three season matches, we’d like to focus on playing to stay in the league, while trying out the first and the second graders in order to nurture them for the future.

NISHIMOTO Takanobu (Kashima Antlers Youth)
Although we figured out what we needed to do to earn a victory, there is still room to improve many things. We started the game well and struck the opener. Having said that, we could have defended better when we conceded a goal. We’d like to refresh as a team, considering how to play better, so that we can earn points in the remaining three matches after the break.

Other Matches

Ichiritsu Funabashi High School　0-0（0-0, 0-0）Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa
Yokohama F・Marinos Youth　4-3（1-0, 3-3）Aomori Yamada High School
Omiya Ardija Youth　4-2（1-0, 3-2）Kashiwa Reysol U-18
Albirex Niigata U-18　1-1（0-0, 1-1）F.C. Tokyo U-18

Both Ichiritsu Funabashi High School (Chiba) and Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa (Chiba) struggled to score with their opportunities and the match stayed scoreless until the final whistle.

Yokohama F・Marinos Youth (Kanagawa) played a home game against Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori). Although the team let Aomori build their lead twice in the second half, IWAKI Daisuke score in the 84th minute and YAMADA Kota in 90th minute to turn the game around.

Second-placed Tokyo U-18 (Tokyo), who could have surged into the lead with another win, drew 1-1 with Albirex Niigata U-18 (Niigata) in ninth place. Tokyo is now two points behind the top team.

Omiya Ardija Youth’s (Saitama) forwards performed well. The team beat Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) with four goals, including two shots from OGASHIWA Tsuyoshi, and moved into fourth place.

More Information