The Lion City Sailors Women returned to their free-scoring ways with a commanding 7-0 victory over Tanjong Pagar United in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the Bukit Gombak Stadium on Wednesday (24 September) night.

Farah Nurzahirah struck her second hat-trick in Sailors colours, while Syazwani Ruzi, Qarissa Putri, Dorcas Chu, and Dhaniyah Qasimah also found the net. At the other end of the pitch, new goalkeeper Hazel Lim marked her second clean sheet in as many games with another confident display between the posts.

“This is by far the best game the girls have played this season in the league, but in certain moments there is still room for improvement,” said Head Coach Daniel Ong. “That said, credit to the girls for showing what they are capable of when they believe in themselves.”

Despite the win, the Sailors remain eight points behind leaders Albirex Niigata (S) with three matches left, after Ruriko Takashima’s first-half brace helped the White Swans beat Hougang United 4-0 in the corresponding fixture.

The Sailors’ starting line-up was notable for the inclusion of Girls Academy graduate Amelia Ng, who at just 15 years and 39 days old, was the youngest player on the pitch.

But it was star forward Farah, fresh from scoring the winner against Tiong Bahru on Sunday, who seized the initiative early on, as she pounced on the rebound from Sarah Zu’risqha’s sixth-minute strike to tap home for her fifth straight game on the scoresheet.

“She is a player with the potential to keep growing, and her arrival has been a real boost for us,” said Daniel. “But credit also goes to the team because without their support, she wouldn’t have the chances to score.”

Farah doubled her tally in the 19th minute after capitalising on a lapse in concentration at the back, before Syazwani clinically converted a through ball to make it 3-0.

Birthday girl Qarissa then marked the occasion with a long-range effort that deflected in off a Tanjong Pagar defender to become the Sailors’ 18th different scorer this season. Amelia almost added her name to that list with a shot on target that was deflected for a corner.

The Sailors kept their foot on the pedal after the restart, with Dorcas slotting home from close range in the 49th minute. Dhaniyah soon made it six with a lofted strike that sailed beyond goalkeeper Elizabeth Tan just past the hour mark.

Farah rounded off the scoring — and completed her hat-trick — nine minutes from time by tucking in Sarah’s low cross to seal the rout.

“I think I played well tonight. There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but overall we did a good job as a team, especially in finishing our chances,” said a delighted Farah.

After a slow start to life at the club, the 21-year-old — who was crowned WPL Young Player of the Year in 2024 — has hit her stride following her move from Geylang International in early August. She now has 12 goals in Sailors colours.

“It took me some time to adapt to the team’s style, but I gradually gained confidence through training sessions and communication with my teammates,” reflected the forward, whose overall tally of 22 goals puts her just three behind Albirex’s league-leading scorer Takashima.

The Sailors will now turn their attention to Sunday’s (28 September) crunch clash against title contenders Still Aerion, who edged them 3-2 last week.

And Daniel is confident his side can reverse that result if they replicate Wednesday’s display.

“We will play our usual game. There won’t be any special plans because I believe the girls can get the win if they perform the way they did tonight.”