Hwacheon KSPO, a women’s unemployment soccer team, won the WK League regular season title 13 years after its founding.
KSPO defeated Changnyeong WFC 4-0 in an away match of the final 28th round of the Develon WK League 2024 at Changnyeong Sports Park in Gyeongnam on the 26th.
With the win, KSPO clinched the regular season title with 16 wins, eight draws, and four losses, accumulating 56 points, the most among the eight teams.
This is the first time KSPO has won the regular season title in the WK League since its inception in 2011.
Their previous best finish was second place last season.
Last season, KSPO led the standings all season before losing the title to Incheon Hyundai Steel in the final round.
This season, the team had the bad luck of losing two of its main players, Shin Na-young and Lee Soo-bin, to overseas leagues in the middle of the season.
However, KSPO rallied under Kang Jae-soon, the club’s first head coach for 14 years, and eventually won its first regular season title.
The main contributor to KSPO’s victory was 32-year-old veteran forward Choi Yoo-jung, who led the team with nine goals and added five assists.
Choi exploded for two goals, including the game-winner, to celebrate her team’s victory.
Choi Jung-min’s eight goals and Lee Soo-bin’s five assists before his transfer also shone.
Suwon FC, which had the same number of points as KSPO through 27 rounds, had to settle for second place (53-15 W, 8 D, 5 L) after losing 0-2 away to Gyeongju Hansuwon.
Gyeongju Hansuwon held off the chase from fourth-place Hyundai Steel to secure third place (51-14 points, 9 wins, 5 draws) and advance to the playoffs.
The prestigious Hyundai Steel, which won a record 11 consecutive WK League titles last year, suffered the humiliation of missing out on the PO for the first time in its history.
After leading the league without a loss until the 20th round match against Suwon FC (1-1) on July 25, Hyundai Steel’s stamina plummeted as it played in the National Women’s Football Championship later that month, and the team lost two draws and two defeats in August.
Back-to-back losses to top contenders KSPO and Suwon FC in rounds 26 and 27 were particularly painful.
The WK League returns to action after a month-long break with PO and the championship match.
PO will face off against regular-season runner-up Suwon FC and third-place Gyeongju Hansuwon on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. at Suwon Sports Complex.
The winner will face KSPO in a home-and-home for the championship.
The first leg will be played on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. at the home of the PO winner, while the second leg will kick off on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at the main stadium of Hwacheon Life Sports Park, home of KSPO. 토토사이트 추천