The 72nd Men’s and 45th Women's All Japan Intercollegiate Hockey Championships were held November 8 - 12 at the Ooi Hockey Field in Tokyo, and Ritsumeikan’s men’s and women’s teams both took home the crown. This marks the first time in three years that both teams won the championship in the same year.

The men's team faced off against Tenri University in the finals on November 12. Ritsumeikan is well acquainted with Tenri University, having lost to them in the finals of the intercollegiate championships for the past two years in a row. Evenly matched in terms of their abilities, the two teams were locked in a stalemate from the beginning, but this was broken when Ritsumeikan gave up the first goal in the second quarter. Despite creating overloads, Ritsumeikan struggled to mount a successful offensive and score their first point. Even after the fourth quarter began, Tenri University's strong defense could not be penetrated, but with two and a half minutes remaining in the game, Motoya Yamanaka (4th year, College of Business Administration) scored a long-awaited goal on a penalty corner to get the team back on track with little time to spare. This year’s final match ended up going into a shoot-out* against Tenri University, just as it did last year, but with the momentum on its side, Ritsumeikan University stayed focused and won by a score of 4-2. This was team’s eighth intercollegiate championship win, and the first in three years.

In the semifinals on November 11, the women's team went up against Tokai Gakuin University, the team that knocked them out of the tournament last year. They won 3-0, and this provided them the momentum they needed heading into the finals on November 12. Their opponent was Tenri University, the same university the men’s team faced in the finals. The team found itself in a difficult situation, having allowed Tenri—last year’s champion who was aiming for a repeat—to score first in the first quarter and tack on another goal in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, however, An Sasaki (4th year, College of Policy Science) scored a goal on a penalty corner, and with the team regaining its a rhythm, team captain Misaki Takagi (4th year, College of Business Administration), scored again to knot up the score in the final moments. The game headed to a shootout, and after hanging on to win 3-2, the Ritsumeikan women’s team grabbed glory for the sixth time, marking their first championship win in three years.

*Shoot-out: After a game ends in a tie, the team that scores the most penalty goals in the allotted time is declared the winner. The players on offense take turns dribbling the ball from the 23-m line, and they have eight seconds to score a goal in a one-on-one matchup against the goalkeeper.

Comment from Men's Captain Yusuke Kawamura (4th year, College of Policy Science)

Comment from Women's Captain Misaki Takagi (4th year, College of Business Administration)

Match Schedule and Scores