Japanese Victory '16 Years in the Making'
by Clare Lochary | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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Team Japan head coach Yoshihiro Okubo basks in the glow of a 15-9 win over Germany, the Japanese's first-ever Blue Division victory. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
MANCHESTER, England -- According to Team Japan
head coach Yoshihiro Okubo, Saturday's 15-9 win over Germany was 16
years in the making. It came as the result of a rally, and it came
against a recently promoted German team, but it still came,
allowing the Japanese to mark their first Blue Division win in FIL
history.
“The win was 16 years in the making,” said Okobu
through a translator, of his team’s comeback win against an
upstart German team that led 8-6 at the half.
Okubo coached Japan in its world championship debut in 1994, when
they struggled to a 0-6 finish in Bury, England. A good showing in
Perth at the 2002 games earned them a promotion to the Blue
Division, where they lost six of six in the 2006 games in London,
Ontario. A Blue Division win is a significant milestone for the
program, which has set its sights on a bronze medal finish here in
Manchester.
“We wanted to play like we always did,” said
midfielder Jun Motoshita, who scored the go-ahead goal on a rising
shot early in the fourth quarter. “Our coach told us
Japan’s lacrosse is not about defense. It doesn’t
matter how much they get. It matters how many points we
get.”
The Germans started strong, jumping to a 2-0 lead and hanging on
to a two-goal advantage at halftime. Germany dominated at the "X,"
thanks in large part to midfielder Matt Campbell’s efforts,
and was aggressive enough on offense to build a lead. But the
incredible speed of the Japanese team eventually wore their
opponents down, and Germany was unable to hold them off, despite a
size advantage.
In the last seconds of the third quarter, attacker Ken Ikegawa put
a high outside shot in the top right corner to tie the game at nine
and kick off a 7-0 Japanese run that put the game out of reach.
“The defense got tired and left some lanes open. We
didn’t move the ball as quickly by the end of the third
quarter, and it showed,” said German head coach Jack Kaley,
whose team was promoted to the Blue Division two days ago to
replace the Iroquois team, which was unable to attend the
tournament due to a passport dispute.
“The Japanese really brought out the speed of the game, and
the elite conditioning level it requires. It was a good experience.
It shows the Germans can compete on every level.”
Motoshita said the team put a heavy emphasis on fitness in
preparation for the 2010 games.
“Our style of lacrosse, we can’t fight body to body,
so we’ve been running a lot,” said Motoshita.
Motoshita was the captain of Japan’s U-19 team, which
suffered a brutal OT loss to Germany at the 2008 U-19 games in
Conquitlam, B.C. that sent Japan’s U-19 team back to the Red
Division in place of the Germans, who advance to the Blue Division
for the 2012 U-19 tournament.
That seemingly backward step for Japanese lacrosse was a
motivator for Motoshita.
“I had that [loss] in my mind,” admitted Motoshita.
“And we kicked their butts!”
