WK League News

There was movement throughout the WK League table last night as results in Round 23 saw Suwon’s lead reduced to a (still comfortable) eight points, and Gyeongju KHNP snatched an important win in their playoff race six-pointer against Sejong Sportstoto.

Amid the ongoing controversy over alleged sexist comments by the referee at Suwon FC’s Round 22 home match, the league leaders were without captain Ji Soyun as they headed to Hwacheon to face the reigning champions. An early goal from Lee Subin gave the home team the upper hand, and veteran Asuna Tanaka doubled the score in the second half. The win sees Suwon’s lead reduced to eight points, but KSPO do have a game in hand, so the leaders still can’t afford to get complacent in the final few rounds of the regular season. Besides, regular league victory is only half the battle — there’s a high chance of these two teams meeting in the championship final, and yesterday’s win proves that Hwacheon can still beat Suwon on their day.

With Suwon and Hwacheon all but guaranteed to finish in the top two spots, the real intrigue in this year’s WK League is in the race for third place and the second playoff spot. Good form in recent weeks helped Sejong Sportstoto leapfrog both Mungyeong and Gyeongju to climb to third after their win at the weekend. However, just one round of fixtures can make all the difference, and Sportstoto are now back in fifth after a loss at home to playoff race rivals Gyeongju KHNP. Mungyeong’s away win at Gangjin leaves them in fourth position, with KHNP back in third, but just two points separate the three teams.

Seoul City recorded a win at home against Incheon Hyundai, the latter slipping to seventh in the table, a new low point in an already disappointing season for the league’s most decorated club. Under the guidance of interim manager Kim Eunjeong following the departure of Hur Jeongjae, the Red Angels face Suwon FC at the weekend before the international break provides them with a chance to regroup, but with league success looking unlikely, their best hope of glory could be in the W Korea Cup.

This Saturday’s Round 24 is the last round of fixtures before the September international break. All matches were previously scheduled for afternoon kickoff times but have since been moved to 19:00 due to hot weather conditions. Seoul City’s rescheduled Round 14 home match against Hwacheon KSPO will take place on Tuesday 14th September. The league returns in early October for the final run-in before November’s playoff and championship final.