The Lion City Sailors Women’s Team returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion with a commanding 9-2 victory over BG Tampines Rovers at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Saturday night (19 April). 

Newly-promoted Putri Alyiah Seow stole the show with a stunning four-goal haul, while Sarah Zu’risqha notched a hat-trick of her own. Last season’s top scorer Raeka Ee and former Stag Anaya Sehgal also got on the scoresheet as Daniel Ong’s charges bounced back in style from last week’s frustrating goalless draw against Hougang United.

Crucially, the win keeps the Sailors top of the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) standings with 10 points from four matches. Their closest challengers, Still Aerion WFC, trail by three points but have a game in hand.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Daniel Ong expressed satisfaction with his team’s response, while acknowledging that there is still work to be done – particularly in defence.

“It was definitely a concern to fire blanks in the last game, but tonight the girls showed that they wanted it more – they were hungrier and more aggressive, which was great to see,” said Ong. “That desire was something we lacked previously, so I’m happy with how they bounced back.”

He added, “Defensively, we still need to improve. Sometimes it’s just about keeping things simple and being more aware of what’s happening around us – that’s something our defenders will continue to work on.”

However, the Sailors got off to a rough start as they fell behind just four minutes in, when BG Tampines’ Mio Irisawa swung in a corner which Anna Seng diverted in at the near post.

But the reigning WPL champions responded to that early setback immediately. Dhaniyah Qasimah twice went close, before the breakthrough came in the 22nd minute through Alyiah, who coolly converted a square pass from Raeka to draw the Sailors level.

Alyiah was back on the scoresheet just six minutes later, as she pounced on a miscue by BG Tampines goalkeeper Nur Atiqah Salihin to roll the ball into an unguarded net and give the Sailors a 2-1 lead.

With momentum firmly on their side, the Sailors wrestled back control and struck twice more before the break. First, full-back Khairunnisa Anwar charged down the flank and squared across goal for Sarah to tap home in the 43rd minute. Barely a few minutes later, Sarah made it 4-1 with a sharp first-time finish off Nurhidayu Naszri’s lay-off.

Dorcas Chu was then introduced for Dhaniyah at the start of the second half – her first appearance of the season – as the Sailors continued to ramp up the pressure on BG Tampines.

It did not take long for the Sailors to strike again in the second half, with Sarah completing her hat-trick in the 54th minute. 

BG Tampines did pull a goal back through Australian forward Ruby Alexandra Brooks, just four minutes later, but that ultimately proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal for the Stags. 

Raeka got in on the action in the 66th minute, poking home into an empty net after her initial effort was blocked by Atiqah to make it 6-2 to the Sailors.

The Sailors’ No. 9 then turned provider with two superb channel runs in the 70th and 80th minutes, setting up Alyiah for a pair of emphatic finishes to round off her four-goal haul.

Incredibly, there was still time for a ninth goal. This time, it was Alyiah’s turn to assist, as she cut the ball back across goal for substitute Anaya to fire home against her former club in the 87th minute.

While Alyiah stole the spotlight with her four-goal haul – taking her to the top of the Sailors’ scoring charts with five goals – the 21-year-old was quick to play down her individual exploits and instead turned the focus on the team’s collective display.

“Scoring four goals makes me feel very good, but a lot of those goals were really team goals – crosses coming in, me making the runs and just being there to finish. It’s truly a team effort,” she said.

“I’m really glad that the other attackers and I share similar mindsets and playing styles. We’re able to read each other’s movements, play the pass even before the run is made – it’s just easy to play with them. I’m grateful to be part of this team.”

Reflecting on the early setback in the match, she added, “Obviously it was a rough start for us, and maybe we were a bit complacent – that’s something we’ll need to work on in training. But we showed that we can come back from a goal down, keep pushing, and be aggressive.”

With the matches against Tiong Bahru and Still Aerion postponed till further notice, the Sailors will only return to WPL action in three weeks’ time as they take on Geylang International on 10 May.