On Sunday 13 January, the 27th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship Final took place at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, where Seisa Kokusai High School Shonan (Kanto3/Kanagawa) was crowned as National Champions for the first time in school history.

Final

Tokiwagi Gakuen High School 0-1 (0-1, 0-0) Seisa Kokusai High School Shonan

It was Seisa Kokusai Shonan who took the initiative of the match in the early minutes, as they applied aggressive pressure to keep Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (Tohoku1/Miyagi) in their own end. Following the five-minute mark, Tokiwagi Gakuen gradually picked up their pace, but Seisa Kokusai Shonan kept on pressing as they came close to taking the lead in the 15th minute when KATO Momo fired a mid-range shot that struck the cross bar. The opening goal came in the 23rd minute, when Seisa Kokusai Shonan earned a free kick from 30 meters out from the Tokiwagi Gakuen goal. The kicker, KUROYANAGI Tomoyo made an ambitious effort to aim the goal from this spot kick, which saw the ball pierce the upper right corner of the goal to give the Kanagawa side a 1-0 lead.

Now down by a goal, Tokiwagi Gakuen made efforts to equalise the match. In the 20th minute, OKINO Ruseri came close to creating an opportunity with her through ball in the box, followed by a freekick taken by NISHINO Akane in the 23rd minute which was denied by a superb save made by the Seisa Kokusai Shonan goalkeeper ONO Aoi.

In efforts to increase their mobility, Tokiwagi Gakuen brought in KATO Mana during the first half, which allowed them to put more pressure on Seisa Kokusai Shonan in the second half. The Miyagi side created opportunities through their quick one-touch passing to break down the opposing defence line but lacked quality in their final touches to capitalise on their chances.

Despite being nailed on to their defensive end, Seisa Kokusai Shonan showcased great persistency to keep their lead intact. The players of Seisa Kokusai Shonan fought tenaciously to win the one-on-ones and made the extra efforts to get to the loose ball quicker than their opponents. With three minutes added to the match, Tokiwagi Gakuen gained two corner kicks to potentially tie the match, but with the superb saves made by their goalkeeper Ono, Seisa Kokusai Shonan kept the clean sheet to earn the national title.

Coaches and Players' Comments

KARASAWA Shunsuke, Coach (Seisa Kokusai High School Shonan)
More than ever, I have thought out what we need to earn the title. We had players who can understand the tactics and make decisions on their own, so I was always thinking of ways to add layers to the talent we had. Our training style has not changed over the years, but our players have shown their maturity in both the football aspects and as a human being. Both last year and the year before, we had a team that was capable of winning the title, but this year we were able to enter the tournament in a great fashion, and we were lucky as well. We will continue to heighten the quality of our football.

SHIBUYA Hana (Seisa Kokusai High School Shonan)
We really wanted to live up to the expectations of our supporters, and with this being our final match with this team, we entered the match with the commitment to earn the title whatever it takes. The closing minutes of the match felt so long, but when the final whistle blew, it felt so surreal and I couldn’t stop crying. Through this tournament, we were able to really unite as a team. The support from the crowd also helped us fight through the tough stretches. I am just truly happy for this result.

KUROYANAGI Tomoyo (Seisa Kokusai High School Shonan)
I still can’t believe that we have won the title. When I struck the freekick, I was trying to place the ball where the goalkeeper can’t reach. It feels so good and unreal that my goal has led my team to become the national champions. Our opponents created many opportunities after we scored, but our team did well to stay persistent and kept on communicating with each other to keep the clean sheet. We still have many aspects to improve on, so we will continue to work hard and do our best to return to this stage next year.

IMAI Yuka (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School)
We weren’t able to make the adjustments to defend against our opponent’s offence, and our opportunities were denied by the superb saves made by the opposing goalkeeper. I feel that we just weren’t good enough to take down the title. It’s very disappointing and it made us realise that winning two titles in a year is not a simple task. Compared to the Inter High School Championships, with the All Japan High School Women's Football Championship being the last tournament of the year, it adds a sentimental value to the tournament. I have really improved myself over the past three years. Anything can happen in football and the stronger team may not always come out victorious. I wish the best success for our younger grade players.

The 27th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship

Tournament Dates: Thu. 3 - Sun. 13 January 2019［Free Admission to all matches］
Tournament Venue: Miki Athletic Stadium, Goshikidai Sports Park, Ibuki no Mori Athletic Field, Kobe Sports Park
Tournament Information