Kyung Hee University (KHU) football team achieved a great accomplishment by making its way to quarterfinals in the 22nd Gimcheon Sports City University Football Tournament for Freshmen and Sophomores held in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

The tournament, which was held from Jan. 7 to 22 in Gimcheon is a great opportunity for young players to show off their talent in their first two years in college.

Group Stage

KHU had a strong start from the group stage by beating all three teams in the group. They thrashed Gumi University 4-2 in their first match on Jan 7, with Kim Se-in scoring two goals for KHU. They kept the momentum into the next game two days later, defeating Calvin University 2-0. KHU’s Park Min-seo scored all two goals in the game in the 77th minute and the 87th minute respectively.

The last group game against Yong-in University on Jan 11, however, was a closely fought match. KHU was trailing 0-1 after allowing a goal in the 15th minute; they were only able to come back after scoring two goals in the second half. Han Jun-hee slotted home the equalizer in the 61st minute and Kim Se-in curled a shot into the far corner in the 74th minute to seal a 2–1 win.

Freshman Kim Se-in, who scored three goals for the team in the group stage, proved himself to be a top goal-scorer for KHU.

Knockout Stage

Three consecutive wins in the group stage led KHU to advance to the next knockout round as the first-place team in the group. Only top two teams from each group get the ticket to play in the elimination stage.

On Jan 16, they faced Hannam University in the round of 16. Through the whole game, both teams were neck and neck, and a deadlock was not broken until the final minutes. In the games prior to semifinals, if the game ends in a tie after 90 minutes, then it goes straight to the penalty shootouts.

With neither team scoring a goal with only a few minutes remaining, it seemed that the winner would be decided on penalties. But captain Jang Ha-yun headed home from a corner kick in the 89th minute to send KHU to quarterfinals. Despite the game being tense, with five players—four from KHU—receiving yellow cards, KHU edged out their opponent 1-0 and survived as one of the top eight teams in the tournament.

KHU captain Jang Ha-yun celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Hannam University in the round of 16 on Jan. 16, 2026, in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province

Courtesy of Kyung Hee University Football Team

In the semifinals, KHU faced Dankook University, a four-time champion last year. Despite a strong effort, KHU lost 0–2.

Promising Talents

Although they fell short of advancing to the semifinals, the five games they played were enough to showcase promising talents for the future.

KHU boasted their solid offense by scoring eight goals in three games of the group stage. Kim Se-in, who is entering the University this year, demonstrated his great ability to find the net. His crucial goal in the final group-stage match enabled KHU to advance to the knockout tournament without playing an extra game.

Park Min-seo, who enrolled last year, also fueled expectations for the team through his solid performance in the second game.

KHU players gather on the field after a dramatic round-of-16 victory against Hannam University on Jan. 16, 2026, in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province

Courtesy of Kyung Hee University Football Team

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With so much potential on the roster, KHU is looking ahead with confidence. The emergence of several young players pointed to a promising future, raising expectations for the team in the competitions ahead. As the squad continues to gain experience, the progress shown in this tournament is likely to carry over into other events later this season.