[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Kiko Seike Shines in Women's Super League Debut

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Keep an eye on Kiko Seike. The Brighton & Hove Albion newcomer had a dynamic debut in the Women's Super League in England and there are big expectations for her in the 2024-25 season.

After playing for the Urawa Reds Ladies from 2014-24 in the Nadeshiko League and the WE League, the former's successor as the top flight in Japanese women's soccer, Seike embraced a new challenge.

Seike signed a contract in July 2024 to play for Brighton.

Now at age 28, the veteran striker has made a fresh start overseas.

In Brighton's first league match of the season, Seike scored a hat trick in a 4-0 triumph over Everton. She became the first player in WSL history to have a hat trick in their debut match on September 21, scoring in the 29th, 56th and 75th minutes at Broadfield Stadium in Crawley, England.

Brighton manager Dario Vidosic was excited about his team's performance.

"The message was simple," Vidosic said, according to the local website Sussex World. "Just be brave, play our football. Football is a funny sport. You can be the best team and lose so we were always more focused on just having a positive performance. When you do that, you get rewards and the ladies got that today. I’m really pleased for them."

After the game, Seike's new teammates made sure that it would be a game and a day that she'll never forget.

"My teammates said things like, 'You're a hero!' and even sang my chant in the changing room," Seike said after the match, according to Brighton's official website. "They really celebrated with me, and it made me feel like I had truly stepped out of my time in Japan."

Kiko Seike Looks Back at Her Stellar Debut

In the same interview with the team's official website, Seike shared insights on her three-goal performance.

She described her second goal "as the one I planned for."

Seike added, "I often play out wide, just like last season. But now I'm positioned even further out so I frequently cross the ball or pass it to Fran Kirby, which is something we worked on a lot in preseason. [And] I don't dribble towards the goal as much as I used to, so I expected to score from a cross, and the second goal played out exactly that way."

She continued: "The first goal came from a defensive move, which is something I'm good at, so I also anticipated that. As for the third goal, I just hit it really hard, and it went in perfectly! People have been praising that one a lot, but I'm also surprised by how it turned out."

Kiko Seike Made an Impact for the Urawa Reds Ladies

During her long stint with the Urawa Reds Ladies, Kiko Seike became a prolific goalscorer. She led the WE League with 20 goals in 22 matches in 2023-24, playing a pivotal role in Urawa's title-winning campaign. Seike bagged 12 goals in the previous season as Urawa won its first league title.

The WE League was launched in 2021 and Seike's former club was the championship runner-up in the inaugural season.

Seike made her debut with the Japan women's senior national squad, aka Nadeshiko Japan, in 2019. She competed in the Paris Olympics, appearing in all four of Japan's matches.

Continue reading the full story, which also includes news items on baseball, basketball and more, on SportsLook.

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.