The Lion City Sailors Women’s Team emphatically dispelled any notion of Geylang International being their bogey side, as they put eight goals past the Eagles without reply at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Saturday (May 10) evening.

Geylang were the only team in the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season to avoid defeat against the Sailors — and had even brought an end to their 37-match unbeaten run with a shock 2-1 victory last June.

But there was to be no repeat of Geylang’s heroics this time, as the Sailors cruised to victory with goals from Nurhidayu Naszri, Priscille Le Helloco, a brace from Sarah Zu’risqha, and an incredible four-goal haul by Raeka Ee to seal all three points.

“The results against Geylang last season helped us identify specific weaknesses in our game,” said Raeka. “Over the past year, we’ve worked hard on our movement, finishing, and fundamentals — and I think all of that came into play today.”

Indeed, it took the Sailors just 16 minutes to lay down their marker, with Sarah delivering a pinpoint cross for Nurhidayu to tap home and give her side an early lead.

Just four minutes later, the Sailors doubled their advantage. Sarah was once again the provider, dribbling down the right flank before picking out Raeka in the box, who made no mistake from close range.

Priscille then opened her account for the season in the 32nd minute, latching onto a through ball before calmly rounding the goalkeeper and holding off two defenders to slot the ball into an empty net.

Reflecting on her goal, Priscille said, “It was a really good ball played through, and I was just focused on it. When the keeper came out, I tried to take it past her — and once I did, I finished it off.

“It feels really good to score today, especially since we’ve already played a few games this season and I hadn’t scored yet — so it’s nice to finally get one in.”

Two minutes before the break, Raeka effectively put the game beyond doubt with the Sailors’ fourth, as she sprinted onto a delightful chipped pass from Priscille before coolly slotting her shot past the keeper.

Priscille revealed after the game that the assist was the product of growing chemistry between the two forwards.

“Raeka and I have really improved our on-pitch connection — especially after a great training session on Thursday where we linked up well with a lot of good plays,” said the French forward. “So, to replicate that in the game and see it pay off with a goal was really satisfying.

“As a team, we played well together today. We’re starting to understand each other’s movements better, and that’s helped us make more effective passes. There’s always room for improvement, but we’re definitely clicking more and more each week.”

The Sailors picked up right where they left off in the second half, and needed just two minutes after the restart to add a fifth. This time, it was Sarah who finally got on the scoresheet, as her free-kick evaded everyone and wrongfooted the Geylang goalkeeper before nestling into the back of the net.

Six minutes later, Raeka raced onto a through ball from Syazwani Ruzi and fired it past the goalkeeper to complete her hat-trick.

The goals kept coming, and in the 56th minute, Dhaniyah Qasimah threaded a through ball to Priscille, who whipped in a cross for Raeka. Although Raeka narrowly missed the header, the loose ball fell to Cara Chang, who controlled it well before picking out Sarah in the box — and she made no mistake with the finish.

With a seven-goal lead, Sailors Head Coach Daniel Ong rang the changes, with the likes of Putri Alyiah Seow, Mira Ruzana, and Amelia Ng coming on for Priscille, Dhaniyah, and Cara respectively.

One key player, however, remained on the pitch — Raeka. And it was the Sailors’ 2024 WPL top scorer who put the icing on the cake in the 81st minute, running onto Alyiah’s through pass and finishing emphatically to net the Sailors’ eighth of the night.

“It feels great to have scored four goals today, but more importantly, I’m just really happy to help the team get such a good result,” said Raeka, who took her season tally up to seven goals. “Now we’re looking ahead to the game against Albirex Niigata (S) next week — and hopefully, we can get another strong result then.”

With the win, the Sailors stay top of the WPL table with 13 points from five games, with their only points dropped so far coming in last month’s frustrating goalless draw against Hougang United.

For Raeka, producing such a dominant win against a side that had troubled them last season is a timely confidence boost as the Sailors push to retain their title and qualify for the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League (AWCL) next season.

“It was really important for us to get the win, especially after the disappointing result against Hougang United,” Raeka said. “After that game, we knew every match from here on would be crucial in our title chase and in getting back to the AWCL next year. So to come out strong today and deliver such a convincing result meant a lot.”