Taichung Blue Whale on Saturday took a step closer to the trophy with a 1-0 win over Taipei PlayOne in the playoffs of Taiwan’s top soccer league.
Defender Tuan Yu-jou scored on a header in the 31st minute, but neither could connect on further chances.
On the men’s side, Taipower-Kaohsiung fought to a 1-1 draw against Tatung-Taipei in the title showdown between this year’s top two sides.
The trophies are to be determined by a two-leg series, the first of which was held on Saturday at Kaohsiung National Stadium.
The second match is to be held next weekend at Taipei Municipal Stadium.
The women’s season started in April and wrapped two weeks ago, with Taipei PlayOne and Taichung Blue Whale finishing in first and second on 37 and 34 points respectively after 15 games.
Blue Whale head coach Horino Hiroyuki said he did not call for any special tactics for the match.
“I just reminded them to stick with the basics of teamwork that they have practiced and to keep good positioning,” Hiroyuki said. “Tuan is a diligent player who did not quit when she was injured. This win is due to the hard work by Tuan and the entire team.”
In the men’s competition, Taipower took the lead on a penalty converted by Lin Chieng-hsun in the first half.
However, Tatung substitute defender Chen Wen-jen came off the bench in the second half to head in the equalizer in the 76th minute, ending the game with a draw.
“The players did a good job with what I wanted for the offense and defense, but we got beaten on a goal and had to settle for a tie,” Taipower head coach Chen Kui-jen said. “Our team really wants the title — we will go all-out next weekend.”
The men this season played 28 games starting in January and finished last week.
In the first match for third place, Fu Jen University-Hangyuan netted on either side of the half to claim a 2-0 win over Taichung-based National Taiwan University of Physical Education and Sport (NTUPES).
The men’s final and third-place matches will be on Saturday, with NTUPES taking on Fu Jen University-Hangyuan at 4pm, and Tatung-Taipei playing Taipower-Kaohsiung in the final at 7pm.
For the women’s side, Taichung Blue Whale will seek to defend their one-goal advantage to seize the title against Taipei PlayOne at 5pm on Sunday.
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