(photo: Meidai sports)
(photo: Meidai sports)
Group photo (photo: Meidai sports)
The final match of the 72nd All Japan University Football Tournament took place at Kashima Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture on December 24, where the Meiji University Football Club secured their fourth championship title for the first time in four years, since the 68th tournament, with a 2-0 victory against Kyoto Sangyo University.
The tournament follows a format where the top teams from each region of the country (24 teams in total) compete against each other. Meiji University participated as the third representative from the Kanto region. In the final match on December 24, which they won in due course, they faced Kyoto Sangyo University.
The first half of the final was tightly contested, with Kyoto Sangyo University's solid defense holding Meiji back, and the first half ended 0-0. However, in the second half, FW NAKAMURA Sota (3rd year, School of Political Science and Economics) scored the opening goal in the 3rd minute, followed by TANAKA Katsuyuki (4th year, School of Commerce) scoring an additional goal in the 8th minute, resulting in an impressive victory.
The following day, December 25, the football club’s head coach KURITA Daisuke and four players, including the captain INOUE Itsuki (4th year, Faculty of Law), shared news of their victory with Chairman YANAGIYA Takashi and President DAIROKUNO Kosaku at the University Hall on the Surugadai Campus
The players smiled at the words of congratulations from Chairman YANAGIYA and President DAIROKUNO, and once again expressed their gratitude to university officials.
≪Japanese version≫