Suwon FC won a penalty shootout against rivals Gyeongju KHNP to claim the top spot at the National Sports Festival in Jeju last week, taking the first step towards a potential domestic treble.
Captained by Ji Soyun, Suwon have made no secret of the fact that their aim this year is to do the treble by winning the WK League, the W Korea Cup and the National Sports Festival. Having secured a place in the finals of both the league and the cup, Suwon’s squad set out for Jeju determined to return home adorned with gold medals.
KHNP almost caused an upset, taking the lead in the first half of Thursday’s final thanks to a goal from Moon Mira, one of several players in Gyeongju’s squad to have lifted the WK League trophy with Suwon in 2024. Kim Gayeon revived her side’s chances with an equaliser in the 84th minute, leaving the match to be decided on penalties. Suwon won the shootout 3-2.
Both semi-finals in the tournament had also been decided by penalties, Suwon and Gyeongju seeing off Hwacheon KSPO and Mungyeong Sangmu, respectively.
Despite Suwon maintaining a comfortable lead in the league table for most of this season, their narrow wins on the way to National Sports Festival glory serve as a reminder that they could still see the WK League title snatched from them — past results will become all but meaningless when Suwon FC and the playoff winners line up for this year’s WK League championship final.
As they look ahead to that final, and the inaugural W Korea Cup final, penalty practice is surely on the to-do list for Park Gilyoung’s squad. The club and its supporters know only too well how important a shootout can be — Suwon FC beat Gyeongju on penalties in the 2024 WK League playoff to secure their place in the final, which they went on to win.
As for the remaining two rounds of the regular league season, Suwon host Sangmu this Wednesday in Round 27, and KHNP on Saturday afternoon in Round 28. With both Mungyeong and Gyeongju still competing for third place, these matches are much more imporant to their opponents than they are to Suwon FC.
The final of the U-18 women’s football tournament at the National Sports Festival was also decided on penalties, with Ulsan Hyundai High School beating Pohang Girls’ Electronic High School to defend their title.
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