Genki Omae struck in each half as Shimizu S-Pulse defeated Kashima Antlers 3-1 to open their J. League season with a victory on Sunday.
Captain and former Antler Takuya Honda netted the decisive second for Katsumi Oenoki's side, which barely survived relegation last season after sacking coach Afshin Ghotbi at the halfway point.
Substitute Yasushi Endo scored in the second half for Kashima, which has dropped all three competitive games in 2015 counting the two losses in the Asian Champions League.