Training Match vs Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School
2016-4-19 (Tue.) - 15:30   Playing Time: 120min. (40min.×3)
Kochi Athletic Recreation Park (Kochi)

U-20 Japan Women’s National Team short-listed squad   0-6 (1st 0-1, 2nd 0-2, 3rd 0-3)  Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School

Scores
12'   Goal against (Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School)
43'   Goal against (Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School)
58'   Goal against (Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School)
87'   Goal against (Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School)
115'   Goal against (Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School)
120'   Goal against (Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School)

Line-ups
GK: MATSUMOTO Mamiko
DF: KITAGAWA Hikaru, MIURA Momo, ICHISE Nana, SHIOKOSHI Yuzuho
MF: SUGITA Hina, NISHIKAWA Ayaka, HAYASHI Honoka, MIURA Narumi
FW: MOMIKI Yuka, SHIRAKI Akari

2nd
GK: ASANO Natsumi
DF: HATANAKA Miyuka, MINAMI Moeka, NORIMATSU Ruka, SHIMIZU Risa
MF: KOJIMA Miku, SUMIDA Rin, NISHIDA Meika, HASEGAWA Yui
FW: SONODA Mizuki, KAWANO Juri

40'   MATSUMOTO Mamiko → HIRAO Chika
80'   HIRAO Chika → ASANO Natsumi

Match Report

The U-20 Japan Women’s National Team short-listed squad had a training match against Kochi's local team Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School on the third day of their training camp on Tuesday 19 April. The team set a match against third graders of men's high school students, simulating their first match against Nigeria in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in November.

The training match with three 40-minute periods kicked off under a clear sky with 23 degrees Celsius. Japan had a string of scary moments drawn by the opponents with close shots early on. Then in the 12th minute, the young girls lost the ball in their end and allowed a shot, resulting in the opening goal. The opponents kept attacking despite failing to convert into a goal, while Japan did not take any shot before finishing the first period.

With only the goalkeeper replaced, Japan started the second period. In the 43rd minute, Meitoku Gijuku added one more from a corner kick. Then in the 58th minute, an opposing player got through to space behind Japan’s defensive line for a long ball to put his side further ahead. After all the field players were replaced in the 60th minute, the substitute players went on attacking to somehow fire a shot. In the 78th minute, after intercepting an opponents’ pass, midfielder HASEGAWA Yui passed the ball to forward KAWANO Juri, who ran through the heart of the defence. It was offside, but the Japan side started to show signs of creating openings.

Kawano and forward SONODA Mizuki fired shots just after the third period began. In the 102nd minute, midfielder NISHIDA Meika met a right cross, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. Japan's offence gradually increased. Although they tried to create an attacking rhythm, they conceded goals in the 115th and 121st minutes because of their own mistakes, before finishing the match 6-0.

Coach and Players' Comments

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach
We had a match against men's big team consisting of third graders from Meitoku Gijuku Senior High School. It was a tough game against a team who are bigger and quicker and charge very fast. It was hard for us to pass around the ball and we struggled to take a shot. In such a situation, the important thing is "quick decision-making" and "ability to read the flow of the game." In the World Cup to be held in November in Papua New Guinea, we need to win through against teams who are physically stronger like Nigeria, Canada and Spain. We will analyse what we've got out of today's match and try to improve it.

NORIMATSU Ruka (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
Today I imagined the Nigeria team who we play against in the opening match of the World Cup. First, we tried not to allow the opponents to find space behind defenders with a single pass and tried to close down once the opponents sent a pass to upfront by making sure who to mark when an opponent is between defenders and midfielders. We took a lot of challenges, and it brought us a lot of things to improve. When we went hard for the ball sent to an opposing striker, we failed to get the ball, and our body went forward too much. But the football we are aiming at is not like that. We try to keep the line compact and win the ball at a high position. To do that, we need to challenge on the ball aggressively. We will try to be aware of the issue we got today while training.

KAWANO Juri (Waseda University)
We were able to experience the difference in speed and power by playing against men's high school team. We played the match as thinking of how to cope with and break through the opponents. But we struggled to create goal-scoring chances and failed to convert the several chances we got. I have a lot of reflections out of it individually, but some of them can be solved by communicating well with my teammates. We will try to sort out on our own during a match.

And I also felt I need to improve the quality of skills like fundamental passing, controlling, timing to start moving and finishing touch. We have just one day left in this training camp. I will go out to learn a variety of stuff and improve myself.

Schedule

*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.