Few could have predicted the sheer scale of dominance on display, as the Lion City Sailors Women turned a traditionally tight contest into a one-sided spectacle with a resounding 9-0 victory over Still Aerion in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Saturday (25 April) night at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

With the title race entering its decisive stretch, the Sailors are on a relentless push for goals, and now sit just two shy of 100 for the season. 

Ami Takeuchi led the charge on the night with yet another hat-trick to take her tally to a remarkable 34 league goals in 10 matches, while Nur Ain Salleh, Eri Kitagawa, Venetia Lim and Syazwani Ruzi all found the net as well. Ami Kawase added a brace to round off the scoring.

Coming into the clash, Aerion had traditionally been one of the Sailors’ sternest tests. Indeed, they had conceded only nine goals in seven matches prior to this encounter, and the Sailors needed a last-gasp effort to edge a 1-0 win in their previous meeting earlier this year. The Sailors had also failed to beat Aerion in both encounters last season.

This time, however, it was a completely different story. Despite the presence of experienced names such as Sunisa Srangthaisong, 2025 WPL Golden Glove winner Lutfiah Hannah and former Sailor Nicole Lim, the Sailors found their rhythm and produced a commanding display to make it two wins from two against Aerion this season.

Remi Ogawa was influential at the heart of the Sailors defence, and the 15-year-old, who made her WPL debut in the 1-0 win over Aerion in January, relished the challenge of going up against older, more experienced players.

“It was really fun playing against a team with many experienced players, and it was an amazing opportunity to compete in that environment,” said Remi.

“Today we gained three points, kept a clean sheet and achieved our training goals, so overall I think we did well as a team. The team’s chemistry has improved a lot throughout the season, especially the combination plays.”

Another player whose performance caught the eye was Ain. Introduced in the 17th minute after an early reshuffle due to an injury to Farah Nurzahirah, Ain orchestrated the attacking onslaught with a goal and four consecutive assists. However, the 16-year-old was quick to credit the rest of the team for the dominant performance.

“It feels really great to help the team rack up the goals. I’m happy I could contribute in this way today against a tough team, but overall it was a team effort,” she said.

“We were a lot more confident with and without the ball this time. We also worked better as a team compared to our previous matchups against Aerion.”

With Sunisa marshalling the Aerion defence, the Sailors initially found it difficult to find the breakthrough. But it eventually came in the 20th minute when Irsalina Irwan’s dangerous delivery caused chaos in the box, and Priscille Le Helloco pounced on the loose ball to tee up Takeuchi to open the scoring.

“The first goal gave us a big boost of confidence to keep pushing and attacking,” said Ain. “At the start, I was a little nervous as the Aerion attackers were quick and technically gifted, but as the game went on and we scored, we built momentum and confidence.”

The Sailors doubled their lead in the 25th minute through relentless pressing. Priscille forced Angelyn Pang into an error, and Ain drilled a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

Four minutes later, Ain turned provider, slipping a pass to Eri, who beat her defender with neat footwork before slotting home her 18th goal of the season to make it 3-0. The fourth arrived in the 36th minute on the counter, with Ain threading a precise through ball for Kawase, who rounded the goalkeeper to score.

Just before the break, Ain lifted a clever pass into Takeuchi’s path for the latter’s second of the night in the 43rd minute. 

There was no let-up after the restart.

In the 49th minute, Ain laid the ball off for Syazwani, whose long-range effort struck the underside of the crossbar and went in. Three minutes later, Irsalina capitalised on a misplaced pass and fed Takeuchi, who showed great composure to complete her hat-trick and make it 7-0.

Venetia, who was introduced in the 58th minute, made an immediate impact with a well-directed shot three minutes later. 14-year-old Kawase then scored the Sailors’ ninth of the night — and her ninth goal in what has been an impressive debut season — in the 71st minute to cap off a dominant display.

There was also time for 13-year-old Sofia Rusi (pictured above) to make her second WPL appearance following her record-breaking debut few days ago, while Raeka Ee continued her return from injury with another outing off the bench.

“I think we kept the ball well and made many good forward runs to create those chances,” said Ain. “Personally, I just tried to stay focused and make the right decisions on the ball.

“This victory will definitely boost our confidence and chemistry. Beating a team of this calibre shows what we are capable of.”

The Sailors will now turn their attention to their next assignment against Tanjong Pagar United next Saturday (2 May) at the same venue.