The Lion City Sailors Women’s Team could hardly have asked for a more emphatic start to their Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 campaign, as they comprehensively beat Balestier Khalsa 16-0 at Bukit Gombak Stadium on Sunday (25 January) night.
This is the Sailors Women’s second-biggest win in history, just behind the record-breaking 18-0 victory over the same opposition in May 2024.
The statement win sent the Sailors to the top of the WPL standings, edging out defending champions Albirex Jurong on goal difference after the White Swans’ 12-0 victory over a day earlier.
The Sailors’ new faces made an instant impression, with Japanese forward Ami Takeuchi leading the charge with a stunning seven-goal haul. Eri Kitagawa and Farah Nurzahirah both completed hat-tricks, while Ami Kawase – from the Sailors’ WPL B-team – struck twice and Nur Izzati Rosni marked her return with a late goal.
“I know my role is to score, so the goals mean a lot to me,” said Takeuchi. “But this was not about individual effort. Every goal came from the whole team working together.”
Head Coach Daniel Ong was similarly pleased with how his side combined, particularly with the integration of the new Japanese players.
“It was good to see the chemistry on the pitch,” he said. “We brought Eri and Ami in to help raise the level of the team and to give our players benchmarks for where they can improve.”
“My instructions are always clear. We play our football, get the basics right, and focus on movement and positioning. When we do that, the goals will come. Development is always our first priority.”
Having rejoined the Sailors for the WPL season after featuring in last year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League (AWCL) Preliminary and Group Stage campaigns, Takeuchi revealed that the bond within the squad played a key role in her return.
“I’m really happy to be back,” she said. “The team was so kind to me during the AWCL, and that made my decision easy.”
She also highlighted the collective nature of the performance.
“This result belongs to everyone. The players on the pitch, those on the bench, the staff, and the fans all played a part.”
It took just four minutes for Eri to open the scoring after latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Nur Ain Salleh. Takeuchi then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot nine minutes later, before growing in confidence and adding two more goals in quick succession to complete her hat-trick inside six minutes.
Ain continued to pull the strings in midfield, teeing up Farah for her first in the 21st minute, before Kawase got in on the act to make it 6-0 by the half-hour mark.
The goals continued to flow with a brilliant team move involving captain Syazwani Ruzi, Eri and Farah leading to the latter claiming her second, before Kawase and Takeuchi added further goals to put the Sailors nine goals up at the break.
Firmly in control, the Sailors picked up where they left off in the second half with Takeuchi scoring her fifth shortly after the restart. Farah then capitalised on a defensive lapse to complete her hat-trick in the 47th minute, before Takeuchi and Eri added further goals to put the Sailors 13-0 up by the 70th minute.
Takeuchi then signed off with her seventh of the night in the 76th minute, while Eri completed her hat-trick from Raeka Ee’s cutback six minutes later. Substitute Izzati then capped a memorable evening by powering home a header from Eri’s corner to complete the rout.
Attention now turns to a sterner test against Still Aerion on Saturday (31 January) at Choa Chu Kang Stadium, with the opening-day rout providing an early confidence boost.
“There are still many details we need to improve on,” said Daniel. “But this was a good start. Training will be important as we prepare for Aerion.”
“This pre-season was shorter than usual, and we are not yet at our peak fitness levels. Still, this win will help the players build understanding, connect better on the pitch, and push each other as we work towards challenging for the title again.”
