Shu Ohba

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Shū Ohba
大場朱羽

| image =

| upright = 1.1

| caption =

| full_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2002|07|11|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan

| height = 1.71 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub = Ole Miss Rebels

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = JFA Academy Fukushima

| collegeyears1 = 2021–2022

| college1 = East Tennessee State Buccaneers

| collegecaps1 = 26

| collegegoals1 = 0

| collegeyears2 = 2023–

| college2 = Ole Miss Rebels

| collegecaps2 = 30

| collegegoals2 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2022

| nationalteam1 = Japan U-20

| nationalcaps1 = 4

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2023–

| nationalteam2 = Japan

| nationalcaps2 = 1

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| club-update = 6:00, 11 December 2024 (UTC)

| nationalteam-update = 6:00, 11 December 2024 (UTC)

}}

{{Nihongo|Shū Ohba|大場朱羽|Shū Ohba|born 11 July 2002}} is a Japanese women's footballer. She plays college soccer for Ole Miss Rebels as a goalkeeper and the Japan national team.{{Cite web |title=Japan Women's National Team squad & schedule – The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 (9/22-10/6) |publisher=Japan Football Association |date=29 August 2023 |url=http://jfa.jp/eng/news/00032691/}}

Early life

Shu Ohba was born on 11 July 2022 in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. She started playing football when she was eight years old.{{Cite web |title=大場朱羽（日本代表） |language=Japanese |publisher=J Sports |access-date=20 February 2024 |url=https://www.jsports.co.jp/football/fifa/about/player_u20_womens/Oba/}} She attended Fukushima Prefectural Futaba Future Senior High School.{{Cite web |title=Shu Ohba – 2022–23 – Women's Soccer – ETSU Athletics |publisher=ETSU Athletics |access-date=20 February 2024 |url=https://etsubucs.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/shu-ohba/3052}}{{Cite web |title=Shu Ohba – Soccer – Ole Miss Athletics – Hotty Toddy |publisher=Ole Miss Athletics |access-date=20 February 2024 |url=https://olemisssports.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/shu-ohba/4896}} During her youth career, she played for JFA Academy Fukushima.{{cite web |title=Students' International Careers |url=https://www.jfa.jp/eng/youth_development/jfa_academy/fukushima/national_team.html |website=Japan Football Association |access-date=10 December 2024}}

Collegiate career

= East Tennessee State (2021-2022) =

During her freshman year at East Tennessee State University, Ohba played in 16 games and amassed 74 saves and 7 shutouts while conceding 14 goals. This performance earned her Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors, as well as a spot on the All-Conference first team. She was also the Conference's Defensive Player of the Week three times.{{cite web |title=Southern Conference 2021 Women's Soccer Notes |url=https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt90a281f2ef4c465c/blt32b44e49b0e9857a/669fa495d5ee8d45c01deada/6089-SoCon_WSOC_notes_Nov_18.pdf |website=Southern Conference |access-date=11 December 2024}}

During her sophomore year, Ohba was named Southern Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year, once again making the All-Conference first team squad. Ohba amassed 60 saves in her 10 games played, with 3 shutouts while allowing 11 goals.{{cite web |title=Southern Conference 2022 Women's Soccer Notes |url=https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt90a281f2ef4c465c/blt854bd6cc4c684594/669fa44cfdb892accf5489bd/6488-11102022_WSOC_notes.pdf |website=Southern Conference |access-date=11 December 2024}}

= Ole Miss (2023-present) =

After the 2022 season, Ohba transferred to the University of Mississippi. During her junior year, Ohba amassed second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors, as well as a third-team United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast region honors, and was a three-time Conference Player of the Week. Ohba amassed 67 saves in 15 games played, with 7 shutouts while conceding 13 goals. She led the league in saves per game.{{cite web |title=2024 SEC Soccer Record Book |url=https://www.secsports.com/soccer-record-book |website=Southeastern Conference |access-date=11 December 2024}}

Her senior year saw her play in 15 games, recording 79 saves while allowing 34 goals.{{cite web |title=2024 Soccer Final Stat Book |url=https://olemisssports.com/documents/2024/9/6/2024_Soccer_Final_Stat_Book.pdf |website=Ole Miss Rebels |access-date=11 December 2024}}

International career

Ohba has represented Japan as early as the under-16 level, where she was a part of Japan's third-pace winning team in the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship,{{cite web |title=AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Thailand 2017 |url=https://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u16w_2017/afc_u16w_championship_2017/member.html |website=Japan Football Association |access-date=10 December 2024}} qualifying for a spot in the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which she also made the final roster for.{{cite web |title=U-17 Japan Women’s National Team squad, schedule【FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Uruguay 2018 (11/13-12/1)】 |url=https://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u17w_2018/news/00019271/ |website=Japan Football Association |access-date=10 December 2024}} She once again represented her country at the 2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, which Japan would win.{{cite web |title=U-19 Japan Women's National Team Squad, Schedule - AFC U-19 Women's Championship Thailand 2019 (10/27-11/9) |url=https://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u19w_2019/afc_u19w_championship_2019/news/00022962/ |website=Japan Football Association |access-date=10 December 2024}} During the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, she started in goal in 4 matches, including all 3 knockout matches, in Japan's second-place effort.{{cite web |title=【Match Report】U-20 Japan Women's National Team defeat Brazil to get one step away from making history |url=https://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u20w_2022/u20_womensworldcup2022/news/00030388/ |website=Japan Football Association |access-date=10 December 2024}}

Her first roster appearance for the national team was during the 2022 Asian Games.{{cite web |title=Japan Women's National Team squad & schedule - The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 (9/22-10/6) |url=https://jfa.jp/eng/news/00032691/ |website=Japan Football Association |access-date=10 December 2024}} She was also rostered for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup.{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=David |title=Ole Miss goalie Shu Ohba to represent home country of Japan |url=https://247sports.com/college/ole-miss/article/ole-miss-rebels-goalie-shu-ohba-to-represent-home-country-of-japan-229950519/ |access-date=10 December 2024 |work=Inside the Rebels |publisher=247Sports |date=5 April 2024}} She earned her first international minutes in a friendly against New Zealand on 31 May 2024. She was later named as an alternate for the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |title=Rebels In Paris: Shu Ohba |url=https://olemisssports.com/news/2024/7/24/soccer-rebels-in-paris-shu-ohba |website=Ole Miss Sports |access-date=10 December 2024}}