Academy Report

[Vermont Cup] On the second day of the 24th All Japan Youth Futsal Tournament, the remaining preliminary match was played in the morning.

The opponent was Miyagi Prefecture representative "Avanzare Sendai SC", who had won two preliminary matches so far.
With both teams having won two matches, the game started defensively and became a stalemate. However, "Antlers Tsukuba", who had been in good form since yesterday, broke through on the right wing with Sasanuma, and Takagi scored the opening goal from the center. Then, Sasanuma scored a middle shot from the center, extending the lead. However, they conceded their first goal from an opponent's corner kick, leading to a counter-attack and a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.However, during halftime, they reconfirmed what they needed to do. Following a goal from Maeda's central breakthrough, Sasanuma, Maeda, and Kofuda scored, and Yamaichi Sora, who scored his first goal of the tournament, also scored, leading to a 7-1 victory. They advanced from the preliminaries to the Round of 16 in the afternoon.

Their opponent in the Round of 16 was Mie Prefecture representative "Tsu Rapido FC", who had advanced as a wildcard. The opponent started by solidifying their defense. They were then broken down from the midfield, leading to a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, which they scored, conceding the first goal of the tournament. Immediately after that, the goalkeeper parried an opponent's shot, which was then scored, putting them in a difficult situation, trailing by two goals. They then scored one goal each, ending the first half with a 1-3 score.In the second half, they actively shot while dominating the ball in the opponent's territory. Maeda's powerful shot from the right side scored, and Sasanuma's individual skill led to an equalizer. The team, now in rhythm, saw Sasanuma's counter-attack shot parried by the opponent's goalkeeper, and Takagi pushed it in to take the lead. Then, all players, led by Kofuda and Nemoto, put their bodies on the line to defend against the opponent's counter-attack with focused defense, winning 4-3 and advancing to tomorrow's quarterfinals.Comment from Coach Kimura
Our opponent in the final tournament was a team we had defeated in a practice match before the tournament, so I told the players not to let their guard down. I also told them that there might be times in the final tournament when we concede first or our rhythm doesn't go well, but not to give up and to fight believing in what we've built up and in those who are supporting us. It was certainly a tough game, but I think it was the result of everyone, including the bench players, fighting without giving up.
However, there was a festive atmosphere after the match, so I told them that everyone's hard work was good, but our goal is still further ahead, so we need to switch gears from here and prepare well for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we will face Shizuoka Prefecture representative "Pivo" in the quarterfinals, who advanced from the Round of 16 through a penalty shootout. If we win, we will proceed to the semifinals and finals.

Today, Antlers Tsukuba 4th and 5th graders also came to cheer, giving the players strong support, no less than Antlers supporters.

Vermont Cup The 24th All Japan Youth Futsal Tournament highlights can be found here (JFA-TV)