A controversial call set up Recruit's winning score and Asahi Beer Silver Star's field goal attempt with five seconds remaining sailed wide left as the Seagulls triumphed 7-6 Tuesday at the Tokyo Dome in X League action. With the victory, the Seagulls clinched the Central Division with a 5-0 record while the Silver Star (4-1) finished in second.
Both teams advanced to the six-team playoffs. The Silver Star face the defending national champion Asahi Beverage Challengers, second place in the West Division, on Nov. 18 at Osaka's Nagai Stadium.
The Seagulls take on the winner of Wednesday's Fujitsu Frontiers-Nissan Skyliners game (7 p.m. at the Tokyo Dome) at Yokohama Stadium on Nov. 18.
The game's only touchdown came in the second quarter. With the Silver Star up 3-0, Seagulls QB Tadashi Inoue threw a pass to receiver Haruhiko Maekawa, who then lateraled the ball to running back Takuya Furutani on a fourth-and-five play.
Furutani ran 27 yards to the Silver Star 3-yard line. On the replay, Maekawa's toss appeared to be a forward pass, but the official ruled it a lateral.
On the next play, Furutani scored on a 2-yard run. Yutaka Yamaguchi kicked a 48-yard field goal for the Silver Star in the last second of the first half. The Silver Star drove to the Seagulls' 5-yard line with five seconds remaining in the game, but Yamaguchi's 23-yard field goal attempt missed the mark.