The final of the 25th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship took place at Noevir Stadium Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture on Sunday 8 January and Jumonji High School (Kanto 3/ Tokyo) won the championship for the first time in their history.

Jumonji faced Daisho Gakuen High School (Kansai 2/ Osaka) in the final. Both teams got through to the final for the first time and they were highly motivated for winning the first-ever championship in their history. Jumonji took the early initiative They moved the ball around well and sought for chances using long passes. KURATA Akari surged up the left wing by a long deep pass in the 8th minute, and MATSUMOTO Manaka headed an early cross from the left side on the 12th minute, threatening the opponents’ goal. Even though both shots did not find the net, Matsumoto continued to display her strong determination towards the goal and created two more goal-scoring chances. In the 19th minute, she ran past the defenders and fired a shot off a long pass and, in the 22nd minute, she advanced the ball to the front of the goal by dribbling. Even though none of their scoring opportunities were capitalised, Jumoniji clearly dominated the early part of the match.

Daisho Gakuen had to be patient waiting for their chance to strike back. While they displayed their high work-rate by chasing and cornering the opponents in the centre of the pitch at the same time paying attention to their positioning, they defended tenaciously in the back line by not allowing the opposing team to attack unmarked.

In offence, they tried to create scoring chances by passing the ball to KUBOTA Haruka, but since they spent most of their defending, it was difficult to attack in numbers especially in the front line. As a result, they ended the first half without taking any shots.

Even after the halftime break, Jumonji continued to threaten Daisho Gakuin’s goal, similarly by Matsumoto breaking through the opponents’ defence. In the 50th minute, Kubota picked up a passing mistake by Daisho Gakuen’s defender and moved the ball up to the final third, and in the 56th minute they went close to the goal from a free kick, but they failed to capitalise on a pair of their scoring chances.

The much-awaited opener finally came in the 61st minute, where Jumonji picked up the ball kicked away by the Daisho Gakuen’s goalkeeper, NISHIMURA Kiyoka, in their own half and moved the ball to MURAKAMI Maho who was only 30 metres away from the goal. Right after receiving the ball, she smashed it by her left foot, making a big loop and found the left corner of the net.

Daisho Gakuin on the other hand, substituted a player for the second time in the 67th minute to level the match. Just like their semi-final, they put YANO Shoko in midfield to increase their passing options. In fact, they tried to reach the goal with a variety of passes by Yano, but Jumonji’s defended solidly while keeping a high level of concentration.

It was Jumonji’s defence which allowed their offence to create better chances in the latter part of the match. They almost found the net from a corner-kick in the 86th minute, and they nearly scored in the 90th minute, where the shot hit the cross bar. They continued to attack until the final whistle and kept the single-point lead of the match. As a result, Jumonji High School won the title for the first time in their team history.

Match Summary (Japanese version only)

Coaches' and Players' Comments

ISHIYAMA Takayuki, Coach (Jumonji High School)
In the meeting we had yesterday, we said to each other: “It doesn’t matter if we win or lose as long as we can show what we have done until today.” Daisho Gakuen’s defence is excellent and there are forward players with pace, but I think we maintained a high level of concentration and defended well against them. What I was worried about was their counter-attacks, but I just trusted the players and they kept the possession of the ball well by playing compact.

Since our team start from junior-high school and go all the way to the university, we have a consistent team concept which enables us to train the players under this same concept for a long time. I will continue to work hard and come back to this stage again next year.

MURAKAMI Maho (Jumonji High School)
Prior to the match, we said to each other: “It will be the last match tomorrow, let’s play our brand of football and win.” In the training we had yesterday, there was the time when I took the shot right at the moment I saw the goal, but hit the cross bar. When I scored the goal today, it was nearly the same situation. However, I smashed the shot with a stronger determination to score this time and it was good that I actually found the net. It could have been luck, but I think I was more relaxed with the team having better rhythm at the time and was able to clearly see the goal. This is the title we got not only by the 11 players, but also by all of the people who supported us from the bench and the stands. I sincerely appreciate their support.

OKAHISA Sho, Coach (Daisho Gakuen High School)
The players were very patient in the first half and they also tried to move forward and make chances even after conceding the opening goal. However this was not an easy task. They ran a lot, while encouraging each other, and they were resilient also. Since this was the result of putting all their efforts in the match, I have no regrets either. There is nothing wrong with what we have done so far. Therefore, I want each one of them to face their individual issues to grow up even more. Senior players were such good examples for younger players and they were always into football. I always expected them to achieve “something big”. Coming through to the final today was the result of their hard work. I want them to continue to play football and capitalise on this experience for their future.

KUBOTA Haruka (Daisho Gakuen High School)
Even though we could not come up with a win, we still managed to stand on the pitch and play our brand of football with confidence. In this regard, I do not have any regrets at all. I just accept the fact that our performance today was our current level of football and I will keep working hard to improve myself for the future competitions. I was very happy that I could play until the final. I was thinking about the teams who were beaten by us, and for them I just wanted to keep my chin up even when we lost the final. We could not become the top team, and thus I am not 100% satisfied. However, I know that all of our teammates love this team. Regarding this point, I am very confident that we are the best in the nation.

25th All Japan High School Women's Football Championshi

30 December 2016 (Sat.) ～ 8 January 2017 (Sun.)　[Free Admission]
First Round～ Quater-finals：Venues across Hyogo Prefecture
Semi-finals ～ Final：Noevir Stadium Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture)

Tournament Information