Aya Sameshima

is a Japanese former footballer. Primarily a left back, she has over 100 caps for the Japan national team.

Club career Sameshima was born in Utsunomiya on 16 June 1987. She played youth football for Kawachi SC Juvenile between 1995 and 2002 and Tokiwagi Gakuen High School LSC from 2003 until 2005. In 2006, she joined TEPCO Mareeze, the club owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company.

Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster, during which the team were in a training camp in the south of the country, the club pulled out of the L.League for the remainder of the season. the first former Mareeze player to sign for another club. She made her debut for the Breakers against Sky Blue on 12 June as a second-half substitute for Alex Scott, becoming the first Japanese international to play for the club.

On 19 September 2011, Sameshima joined French club Montpellier, joining compatriot Rumi Utsugi at the club. She returned to Japan to play for Vegalta Sendai in 2012, before joining Houston Dash in January 2014. However, due to injuries she failed to contract, and rejoined Vegalta Sendai in July 2014. She subsequently signed for INAC Kobe Leonessa for the 2015 season.

National team career After playing for the Japanese team at the AFC U-19 Championship in 2006, Sameshima made her full international debut on 10 March 2008, against Russia, and played in the 2008 Asian Cup that year, scoring the first goal in an 11–0 win over Chinese Taipei. In 2010, she played in the 2010 Asian Games, winning a gold medal as Japan won the tournament. In 2011, she was part of the Japan squad for the 2011 World Cup, playing in every match for the World Cup Champion Japanese team. She was part of the Japanese team that won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She also played in the 2015 World Cup where Japan were the runners-up.

National team goals DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 31 May 2008 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 0–1 0–11 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup 2 20 May 2010 Chengdu, China 8–0 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup 3 28 October 2014 BC Place, Vancouver 2–3 Friendly 4 12 June 2015 BC Place, Vancouver 2–1 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup 5 1 April 2018 Isahaya, Japan 7–1 Friendly

Honors FIFA Women's World Cup Winner, 2011 Football at the Asian Games Gold Medal, 2010 East Asian Football Championship Winner, 2010