The Lion City Sailors Women have endured a challenging yet eye-opening debut Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League (AWCL) Group Stage campaign, with back-to-back defeats in Group A leaving them in must-win territory for their final fixture.
Having fallen to Melbourne City and Ho Chi Minh City, the Sailors now know that only victory over Philippines side Stallion Laguna at the Thong Nhat Stadium on Wednesday (19 November) will keep their hopes of a quarter-final berth alive.
A tricky opponent
Stallion, however, present a stern test. A large portion of their squad comprises Filipino players with American heritage, including the McDaniel sisters — goalkeeper Olivia and attacker Chandler — who were part of the Philippines’ historic FIFA Women’s World Cup debut in 2023. The pair joined Stallion following that campaign and played pivotal roles in edging arch-rivals Kaya FC–Iloilo to the 2024 PFF Women’s Cup.
Photo: 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Team captain Chandler (pictured above) is a prolific threat in the final third, having scored nine goals across three AWCL Preliminary Stage matches to fire Stallion into the Group Stage. Olivia has been equally influential at the opposite end, and is currently second for saves made in the Group Stage, with seven stops in their 1-0 and 7-0 defeats to Ho Chi Minh City and Melbourne City respectively.
The squad is further bolstered by a talented supporting Filipinas cast, including midfielders Kaya Hawkinson and Isabelle Pasion, as well as newly-capped forward Malia Cerdon. They are complemented by experienced foreign recruits such as former Ninja A-League midfielder Emily Roach and New Zealand forward Tayla Christensen, who featured at the 2016 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
Sailors determined for AWCL breakthrough
Despite the setbacks against Melbourne City and Ho Chi Minh City, the Sailors remain in contention for a place in the next round, with a route still open to qualification as one of the two best third-placed teams.
A win will see them secure third place in the group and progression will then hinge on whether their final points tally exceeds that of the third-placed side in Group B.
“The past two results weren’t good for us, but it’s part of the game. The atmosphere in the camp remains really positive and we all believe that we still can qualify,” said forward Raeka Ee.
“We’ll be going out there with full determination tomorrow and we’re very eager to show what we can do on the continental stage.”
But regardless of how the qualification picture unfolds, the Sailors remain intent on making their mark by overcoming Stallion and securing their first-ever points in the competition.
“We’re not overly concerned with the results or qualification; our focus is largely on how we can improve as a team and how the girls can benefit from this experience,” said Assistant Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan.
“The girls have fought admirably throughout this campaign and tomorrow is another chance for them to battle against the best in this region. I’m confident they will put up a performance that we can be proud of.”
Singing from the same hymn book, Raeka added, “Instead of focusing on things that are not within our control, we want to use our energy on trying to play our football, stick together as a team, and execute the game plan laid down by our coaches.
“As long as we do that, I think we can get a good result.”
