Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Mito Hollyhock 13th with 54 points, Grulla Morioka 22nd with 34, 20 apart. Against a league average of 1.23 goals per team per game, Grulla Morioka ran at 0.83 scored and 1.9 conceded, Mito Hollyhock at 1.12 and 1.1.
Six consecutive defeats weighed on Grulla Morioka. Over the last five, Grulla Morioka had taken 0 of 15 points to Mito Hollyhock's 6.
Hokujosogoundo Koen Kitakami Field in Kitakami staged the fixture, a ground that holds 4,946. Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 0-0 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 1-0.