The Lion City Sailors Women’s Team will head to Jordan for the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women’s Champions League (AWCL) in high spirits, after securing a confidence-boosting 11-0 victory over Balestier Khalsa on Saturday (17 Aug) night at Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

With this win, the Sailors took a huge step towards securing their third consecutive Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) title, pulling three points clear of their nearest challengers, Albirex Niigata (S), at the top of the table with three matches left to go.

The high-scoring win also extended their goal difference advantage over Albirex to 22, and Liyana Rickit, one of the scorers on the night, believes this could be crucial as the season draws to a close.

“It’s crucial to score as many goals as we can, especially now that we’re in the final stretch of the season,” said Liyana.

Miray Altun, who netted her first goals of the campaign and became the 17th Sailor to score this season, echoed Liyana’s sentiments.

“Every goal counts when you’re aiming for the top, and goal difference plays a significant role this season,” she explained. “The team’s mentality of always pushing forward — whether for the next goal or the next match — is vital, and it’s a mindset we all share.”

It took only six minutes for the Sailors to get their first goal of the night, with in-form wing-back Nur Syazwani Ruzi tapping the ball in after being set up by a well-weighted pass from Sarah Zu’risqha.

Liyana, 15, then doubled the team’s lead seven minutes later, as she capitalised on Balestier’s failure to clear the ball in their box to score her second goal of the season.

“It feels great to score just before competing in the AWCL because it shows what I’m capable of, and I hope to score even more moving forward,” Liyana shared. “It’s crucial to commit when you see the ball coming your way. I saw the opportunity in that chaos and took my shot.”

Sarah then turned from provider to scorer in the 17th minute, netting the Sailors’ third goal, before Josephine Ang made it 4-0 just 16 minutes later. The goal brought 18-year-old Josephine’s season tally to 12, making her the third-highest goalscorer in the WPL this season.

Eight minutes before the break, Seri Nurinsyirah extended the Sailors’ lead to five goals, heading in a precise corner for her second goal of the season.

The second half continued much like the first, with the Sailors pressing forward to further extend their lead.

And it took just four minutes after the restart for Miray — who was deployed in central midfield for the first time this season — to curl the ball home to give her side a 6-0 lead.

Miray, who had previously played on the wings for the Sailors, revealed that she trained as a centre-midfielder during the team’s recent training camp in Pathum Thani, Thailand.

“I’m really enjoying this new position; it’s completely different from playing on the wings. The new responsibilities are quite refreshing, and I think scoring has helped boost my confidence in the middle,” shared 19-year-old Miray, who played as a central midfielder until her time in the under-18s.

Sailors’ leading scorer Raeka Ee, who came on as a half-time substitute, then scored a quickfire double in the 62nd and 65th minutes, bringing her goal tally to 14 for the season — just four behind the current WPL top scorer, Manami Fukuzawa of Albirex (18 goals).

The final 10 minutes of the game saw the Sailors further extend their lead through goals from Miray, Umairah Hamdan, and Cara Chang, as Daniel Ong’s charges secured their third win of the season with a margin of at least 10 goals.

Now, the Sailors will turn their focus to their next big challenge — the AWCL.

Miray said, “I know the AWCL will be a tougher test, but scoring tonight and our consistent performance in the WPL give us momentum. Hopefully, we can carry that forward in Jordan and through the rest of the WPL season.”