Academy Report

Today we played one preliminary league match and the round of 16 of the final tournament.

The third preliminary league match was against "Tobimatsu FC" from local Kagoshima.

Kashima Antlers had to win this match to advance to the final tournament, but they struggled to score against a team that had already suffered two losses, whose pride was on the line.However, in the 11th minute of the second half, Yuta Yamaguchi connected with a cross from Tosei Sugawara on the left side, scoring the long-awaited opening goal. They advanced to the final tournament as the second-place team in the preliminary league with two wins and one draw.The first match of the final tournament was against "Iris FC Sumiyoshi" from Osaka. They are a strong team, having defeated last year's champions "Cerezo Osaka" in the prefectural qualifiers and also defeated "Yokohama F. Marinos" in this tournament.


As it was the first match of the final tournament (R16), both teams started cautiously. However, with their characteristic hard work, they applied intense pressure and created rhythm, approaching the goal. Still, the first half ended without them being able to break through the opponent's defense.

They continued to create scoring opportunities in the second half but couldn't score until the 16th minute.From a left corner kick, Hiro Ooyama sent the ball to the center, where Yuto Koide, who had been clearing almost all of the opponent's balls as a center back, made a diving header to score the opening goal. After that, they held off the opponent's highly athletic attacks and won the match as time expired.

We extended our gratitude to the parents who supported us all the way from Ibaraki to Kagoshima this time.


Coach Koyano's comments
"Before the first match of the final tournament, I told the players, 'Honestly, we've been playing poorly so far. Let's play with passion again, win or lose.'
The opponent had many highly skilled players, so I thought it was important to defend well first and then aim for a goal. It was a tough match, but I'm really glad we scored at a good time. I want to prepare well for tomorrow as well."