Lion City Sailors retain Women’s Premier League title after a challenging season

SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors sealed back-to-back Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles with two games to go as they recorded an emphatic 11-0 victory over Geylang International on Sunday, extending their unbeaten run in the competition to 15 wins and a draw.

In the process, they took their tally to 46 points, beyond the reach of nearest challengers Albirex Niigata, who remain seven points behind after a 3-1 win over Still Aerion at Choa Chu Kang Stadium. The Sailors will earn $25,000 in prize money, while Albirex, who have secured second spot, will bag $10,000.

But, despite the Sailors’ dominance in Sunday’s match at the Clementi Stadium and in the league, it has not been all smooth sailing for the defending champions, who started the game with no substitutes.

Long-term injuries to key players such as defender Fatin Aqillah (anterior cruciate ligament) and the unexpected departure of others like Unleash The Roar! scholarship recipients Chloe Koh, Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran and Seri Ayu Natasha Naszri has left the Sailors with a lean squad, making things challenging for the team.

Sailors head coach Yeong Sheau Shyan said: “It’s been a very long season so we are very relieved that we’ve secured the second title.

“It’s just that our squad have been getting smaller and smaller so it is a very new challenge every time – we’ve got something different happening in every match even though it looks like we’re doing pretty well, so the challenges are outside of football.”

The Sailors started strongly, carving out several chances in the opening minutes but were unable to convert them.

It took 12 minutes for them to break the deadlock, with forward Julia Farr, who was still dealing with a knee injury, opening the floodgates as she coolly slotted the ball into the net.

Farr grabbed her second of the game in the 42nd minute, making it 5-0 to the Sailors as she fired another strike past Geylang custodian Vernita Erat, adding to goals from Miray Altun, Josephine Ang and Lila Tan. It did not take long for the Sailors to get going again as Ang bagged her second goal three minutes after the break, prompting strains of “Campeones” from supporters in the stands.

In the 55th minute, the 17-year-old completed her hat-trick with a sizzling volley, putting the Sailors 7-0 up, before Madelin Lock and Tiffany Siy scored to increase their advantage.

Altun unleashed a stunning long-range strike to make it 10-0 and Geylang’s misery was further compounded as their goalkeeper Vernita went off the pitch with an injury, leaving them with just 10 players.

Sailors’ Ho Hui Xin then bundled the ball home to seal the victory for the Sailors in the 88th minute after a scramble in the box following a corner kick. The double-digit defeat caused Geylang to drop to the bottom of the 10-team table on goal difference.

Ho, who captained the team in Sunday’s game, said: “We’re very happy. The pressure was on because we were champions last year and it was a lot of hard work.

“There were breaks in between so sometimes it was quite difficult to keep up the momentum. This shows the depth in the squad that even without a bench we were able to pull off whatever tactics needed to secure the win.”

Yeong lauded the effort of her players, highlighting how players such as Ang, who were promoted from the club’s academy this season, have stepped up in their successful title defence.

With the squad depleted, Yeong has added seven players from the Sailors girls’ academy.

While playing in the WPL was initially daunting, Ang feels she has settled into the team well and urged them to focus on their remaining two games against Hougang United (Nov 19) and Tiong Bahru (Nov 25).

Ang, who now has seven goals, said: “The job is not done. I feel like we’re not the champions yet because we have two more games to go. We shouldn’t stop training hard or be complacent, we should just keep going and stay unbeaten.”