Soccer: Ueki double leads Beleza to record 16th Empress’s Cup

Japan forward Riko Ueki hit a brace as Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza thumped INAC Kobe Leonessa 4-0 to lift the Empress’s Cup for a record-extending 16th time on Saturday. The 23-year-old Ueki volleyed home the opener in the 39th minute before doubling Beleza’s lead four minutes after the break from a corner at Yodoko Sakura Stadium in Osaka. Rikako Kobayashi scored their third in the 81st minute and 19-year-old Aoba Fujino completed the rout by netting in the 90th minute as Beleza won the title for the first time in two years. Kobe, currently top of the WE League, failed to capitalize on their…