The Daejeon Hana Citizens Under-15 team (U15) has won the 2023 GROUND.N K League U14 Championship.
Daejeon won the title with a 5-2 victory over Ulsan Hyundai U15 in the final of the ‘2023 GROUND.N K League U14 Championship’ at the Cheonan Football Center at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Daejeon got off to a great start with a 3-2 win over Seongnam FC U15 in the first round of group play on Dec. 12. They followed that up with a 3-0 win over Seoul Eland FC U15 in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals. Despite a 2-5 loss in the third round against Pohang Steelers U15, Daejeon finished first in their group (2-1) and advanced to the quarterfinals.
After a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Suwon FC U15 in the quarterfinals, Daejeon met FC Anyang U15 in the semifinals and advanced to the final with a 3-1 win.
Facing Ulsan in the final, Daejeon opened the scoring in the 9th minute with a goal from Lee Ji-woo, followed by multiple goals from Yang Won-young, Kim Seo-joon, and Kim Sun-woo. Despite conceding two goals to Ulsan in the second half, Daejeon put on an outstanding performance to win the title 5-2.
Daejeon’s second-year squad was dubbed the second golden generation of Daejeon after winning various elementary school competitions, including the 2021 Primary Football League Daejeon Region, and the Primary Football League Dream Festival and 50th National Boys’ Sports Competition.
Coach Kim Yoon-yeol and Kim Sang-ho, who led the Golden Generation to the championship, were awarded Best Manager and Best Coach, respectively, while Kim Ji-ho was named Best Player, Kim Sun-woo was awarded Offense, and Kim Woo-ri was honored as Best Young Player. In addition, Daejeon won the Fair Play Team Award to cap off the night.
Coach Kim Yoon-yeol said, “It was a tough tournament due to the hot weather, rescheduling due to a typhoon, and corona infection of our main players. We were able to win the championship thanks to the clubs who provided a lot of support and the players who overcame with a united heart. We are grateful to everyone who supported us and will continue to work hard to develop excellent players.” 토토사이트