On Friday 4 January, eight of the second-round fixtures of the 27th All Japan High School Women's Football Championship took place at various locations in Hyogo.

Pick-up Match 1

Kaishi Gakuen JSC High School 0-6 (0-6, 0-0) Teikyo Nagaoka High School

The first match held at Miki Athletic Stadium featured the “Niigata Derby” between Kaishi Gakuen JSC High School (Hokushinetsu3/Niigata) and Teikyo Nagaoka High School (Hokushinetsu1/Niigata).

After winning the first round, the tournament debutante Teikyo Nagaoka carried their momentum into the second round as they moved the ball and players around effectively to keep Kaishi Gakuen in the defensive end. They came close to scoring the opening goal in the 7th minute, when KAWANO Eru responded to a vertical pass and struck a shot that nearly captured the goal.

The pressure applied by Teikyo Nagaoka continued deep into the first half, as they scored the first goal in the 17th minute, when YOSHIDA Mana struck a diagonal shot from the right side to pierce the upper left corner of the goal. This goal turned out to be the signal to start a goal rush for Teikyo Nagaoka, as ONUKI Sakura followed with a superb volley shot in the 26th minute to double their lead. Teikyo Nagaoka went onto effectively utilise the width of the field and converted their set-pieces to score another four goals, showing great efficiency by scoring six of their eight shots to take a 6-0 lead at halftime.

The second half saw Kaishi Gakuen applying aggressive pressure, as all of their players showed great persistency to keep the Teikyo Nagaoka side from scoring another goal. Despite seeing opportunities created by each side, the score remained the same and Teikyo Nagaoka registered another superb victory.

Pick-up Match 2

Tokai University Fukuoka Senior High School 3-1 (3-1, 0-0) Harima High School

In the second fixture held at Miki Athletic Stadium, another tournament debutante, Harima High School (Host/Hyogo) faced Tokai University Fukuoka Senior High School (Kyushu3/Fukuoka). The Harima side, who’s entering their second year since the team was founded, started off the match by creating many opportunities. In the sixth minute, NAGAI Saho responded to a long-ball and raced the ball ahead of the opposing goalkeeper, nearly scoring the opener. Nagai created another opportunity in the 13th minute when she delivered a pass to allow IMANISHI Kana to strike a shot from mid-range that struck the cross bar.

It was Tokai University Fukuoka who scored the opening goal, when they converted a corner kick in the 16th minute, but Harima responded by scoring the equaliser just four minutes later, when Nagai scored with a lobbing shot from distance.

However, Tokai University Fukuoka gradually picked up their pace to take control of the match. The Fukuoka side created numbers of chances by outwitting the Harima defence line, scoring two more goals before halftime to take a two-goal lead.

After making countless sprints in the first half, Harima started to show signs of fatigue in the second half. As the host side’s intensity simmered down, Tokai University Fukuoka gained more momentum and guided themselves into a 3-1 victory, advancing into the third round.

Coaches and Players' Comments

SHIGETA Manami, Coach (Kaishi Gakuen JSC High School)
With our opponents being a powerful team, we knew we had to be patient in this match. However, we ended up losing with a great margin because I was not prepared enough. We wanted to force our opponents to take risks in the second half, but it didn’t work out as we planned. We were defeated mentally after the first half. We didn’t lose because we utilised many first-grade players, but it was regretful that I couldn’t give our third-grade players a chance to play to their fullest.

ONUKI Sakura (Teikyo Nagaoka High School)
We started off the match poorly, but with the captain scoring the first goal, it made it so much easier for us. When I scored the second goal, I knew the goal was open prior to the play, so I am glad I was able to capitalise on the opportunity. With Kaishi Gakuen being a team from Niigata, we play each other a lot, but we have drawn against them many times this year. We had scouted them thoroughly, but we were not expecting to win with such great margin. We will continue to fight with a challenger’s mentality and take on one match at a time. We are satisfied with our performance today, and we hope to keep our momentum until we take down the title.

FUKUNAGA Kiwa (Tokai University Fukuoka Senior High School)
I am glad the team managed to win the match, but facing a heavy coverage from the opponents, I was not able to perform well at all today. However, with the opponents paying a lot of focus in the central area where I was positioned, the team managed to utilise the open space in the flanks. We have been carrying a new resolution from April, “To bloom the biggest flower in Japan.” We have lost in the first round of the Inter High School Championships, so we kept telling each other to win each and every match at this tournament. We hope to win three more matches so that we can become the national champions.

TSURUOKA Yuko, Coach (Harima High School)
This tournament has given us a great opportunity to realise what we need to work on. The two goals we conceded towards the end was of course not good, but we were pretty satisfied with the overall performance we showed in the first half. Only if we could have played the same way in the second half… We lacked stamina and strengths when fighting for the ball. We will work on those aspects for another year and return to this stage with a much improved version of ourselves. However, with the team only consisting first and second grade players, this tournament has given us a great experience.

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