Josuikan defeated Hiroshima Minami 3–0 on Dec. 8 at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima to win the 105th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament Hiroshima Qualifiers for the first time in school history, yomiuri.co.jp reported.
The victory marks the school’s first championship after reaching the final in both 2014 and 2020. Josuikan secured its place in the national tournament, which begins Dec. 28 across the Tokyo metropolitan area.
In both previous final appearances, Josuikan fell by identical 3–0 margins.
“Our goal was to win 3–0, and everyone shared that mindset before kickoff,” captain and defender Kengiku Masuda said, according to yomiuri.co.jp.
After a scoreless and tightly contested first half, midfielder Hayato Ishibashi broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. Ishibashi struck a lofted ball that carried over the opposing goalkeeper’s head and into the net.
“I kicked it with the image of a pass,” Ishibashi said, yomiuri.co.jp reported.
Substitute midfielder Shoma Watanabe provided the setup in the 68th minute for defender Satoshi Hirabayashi to score the second goal. Masuda capped the scoring in the 78th minute, meeting a cross at the front of the goal to drive his right foot through and secure the 3–0 win.
Head coach Yasutaka Kamino implements an aggressive attacking philosophy known internally as “entertainment football.” The team scored three or more goals in every match of the Hiroshima tournament.
More than 300 supporters filled the stands to watch the victory.
Defending champion Hiroshima Minami relied on its traditional “strong defense, aggressive offense” strategy to pressure Josuikan throughout the match. The attack failed to break through, leaving players collapsed on the pitch at the final whistle.
“We needed to be much more precise in the final third of our attack,” head coach Takanori Ueda said, yomiuri.co.jp reported. “I am filled with regret that I could not give the third-year players another trip to the national tournament.”
Eastern Hiroshima prefecture has not produced a tournament champion since Fukuyama Ashiyo won the regional title 33 years ago. Josuikan now shifts its focus to the national stage.
“We carry the pride and responsibility of representing Hiroshima, and our first objective is to win one match,” Kamino said, according to yomiuri.co.jp.
“The prefectural tournament was merely a stepping stone,” Masuda said. “Our real goal is to win at the national level, so we return to practice today.”
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