Go! Go! Waseda Sports :
Beat Keio and Win Back the No.1 Title
- Lacrosse is Getting Hot -

School of Education, 3rd year Hiromitsu Morii (Lacrosse Student Federation Press Chairman)

During a time out, the men rouse their spirits in a huddle.

Waseda captain, Goto (right) and Keio captain, Kimura (left) on a one on one.

The stadium filled with excited spectators, and in the drizzle and chilly air of May 15th, the 13th Waseda-Keio Lacrosse match took place at the Hiyoshi track stadium of Keio University. It was 20 years ago that the sport lacrosse was introduced in Japan. The two schools, Waseda and Keio, have been both great rivals as well as good partners in leading the Japanese lacrosse world as pioneers. This year’s games were as exciting and heated as that of the history between them.

In the Waseda-Keio Lacrosse matches, the men’s and women’s divisions take place on the same day. Preceding the men’s match, the women’s was held. Soon after the starting whistle, #50 Hayase Yoshimura (School of Human Sciences, 2nd year) scored the first goal. Waseda, led by the commander #21 Tomoyo Arima (School of Sports Sciences, 3rd year), obtained a big lead in the first half with a good balance of offense and defense, and won the game 8-6, holding back Keio’s strong counterattack in the second half, to realize a victory not achieved in the past 9 years. It was an excellent game against the 2nd place winner of last year’s Kanto primary league. #10 Ryoko Sugihara (School of Commerce, 4th year), the team’s goalkeeper and guardian spirit, was chosen MVP, having saved Waseda in many critical moments.

On a roll from the women’s marvelous victory, the men began their game. #23 Shunya Goto (School of Commerce, 4th year) who is this year’s captain of team Waseda and a member of the All Japanese Lacrosse varsity team, made the first goal with a dynamic shot in the center. #2 Tomofumi Fukumoto (School of Sports Sciences, 3rd year) scored an additional point with a beautiful shot right after. It looked as though Waseda could pull off a victory. However, Keio, the team that has taken the national student championships 6 years in a row had different ideas. Turning the tables, Keio struck Waseda with its famous wave attack. Unable to stop its force, Waseda lost to Keio 11-7. The game made Waseda keenly realize the size of the wall blocking the way to regaining the No.1 title. In this game, #30 Kouichi Takeuchi (School of Commerce, 3rd year) received the honor of MVP for his soulful defense that glowed in many parts of the game.

The men will continue their march forward, always mindful of the meaningful experience and the regrets from this last match. Let’s hope that the sunshine that lightened the players at the end of the match in the drizzle was a ray of hope leading towards revenge in the autumn league match and coming season. The one and only goal is to beat Keio and to win back the Japanese No.1 title. The women, riding the wave from this game, will next play against the University of Physical Education in the league match.

[what’s lacrosse?]

Originating from the Native Americans in North America, lacrosse is the national sport of Canada along with ice hockey. It has been shown on the media quite often recently, and is already familiar as a college sport in Japan. From the fast shots that go over 150km/h and heavy actions, it is also called “the world’s fastest martial arts ball game”. The Waseda Lacrosse team is also known by the nickname of “red bats”, because the “W” of WASEDA looks like a bat in flight. Waseda has belonged to the Kanto primary league since its creation, and holds an illustrious record of winning the All Japan Student Championships twice, second only to Keio. Please keep a close eye on the new sport of lacrosse as the world’s fastest martial arts ball game, and cheer on the Waseda Red Bats!