MilkLife Strikers, Indonesia’s Girls U12 team, opened their Singa Cup 2026 campaign in Singapore with a 6-1 win over hosts Lion City Sailors.

MilkLife Strikers began Singa Cup 2026 with a convincing 6-1 win over host representatives Lion City Sailors at The Rainforest Hub, West Coast, Singapore, on Sunday (1 November).

Singapore, HARIANBANGSA.net – MilkLife Strikers began Singa Cup 2026 with a convincing 6-1 win over host representatives Lion City Sailors at The Rainforest Hub, West Coast, Singapore, on Sunday (1 November). Ika Wonda, a forward from SD Kristen Manahan Surakarta primary school, put in an impressive display and scored a hat-trick in the match.

MilkLife Strikers coach Jacksen F. Tiago said one of the keys to his players’ win today was being effective in making the most of their chances. Jacksen also praised the mental strength of his players, who were not daunted by facing one of Singapore’s strong teams.

I told the children that even the smallest chance has to be made the most of. That is what they did today. The opposing team pressed high, and from there we managed to exploit the space behind their back line. Not only that, I am also happy that the players could overcome their nerves on the first day. What is more, we managed to win against a strong team like Lion City Sailors. For me, being able to come here and get this playing experience is already very valuable.

Jacksen F. Tiago, MilkLife Strikers coach

Beyond the technical side, Jacksen also praised the team’s togetherness off the pitch. He said this was one of the things that supported MilkLife Strikers’ cohesion on the pitch.

Before leaving for here, the players went through intensive preparation. From the start, we focused on building the players’ chemistry on the pitch. As a result, today I saw them all blend in and play as a unit. They managed to close the distance between one another even though they come from different team backgrounds.

Jacksen F. Tiago

One of the heroes of MilkLife Strikers’ win, Ika Wonda, could not hide her delight after a positive result in the first match at Singa Cup 2026. Ika said her hard work during the training camp had paid off with today’s win. On her hat-trick, Ika said the coach had indeed given her a special instruction.

Of course I am happy we could win today. It is thanks to the hard work of all the players, who trained diligently throughout the training camp. Our training was quite intensive before we got here. Today I also scored a hat-trick, which was in line with Coach Jacksen’s instruction to me that a striker’s job is to score goals. I am happy I could do my job well today.

Ika Wonda, MilkLife Strikers forward

Teddy Tjahjono, representing Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and also Program Director of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, said the positive result on the first day at Singa Cup was good news for the continuing development of girls’ football. Teddy added that Singa Cup is a benchmark for the development work carried out over the past few years.

This is part of our effort to keep developing girls’ football from grassroots level. In the context of Singa Cup, we are trying to give the best players from MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2026-2027 the chance to compete at a more competitive level.

Teddy Tjahjono, Program Director, MilkLife Soccer Challenge

This step will of course enrich their experience and add to their playing time, as the players can test themselves directly against opponents from various countries. “Besides that, we also see this as an opportunity to measure the output of the development carried out through the MilkLife Soccer Challenge. Today, we are happy the players could play well and win,” Teddy added.

Singa Cup is one of the largest annual early-age tournaments in the world and has been held in Singapore since 2011. This year Singa Cup has 136 teams from 13 countries from various parts of the world. At this year’s edition, Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and MilkLife sent MilkLife Strikers to take part in the Girls U12 category, made up of players selected from the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2025-2026.

The Girls U12 category of Singa Cup 2026 has four teams in a round-robin league running from 1 to 3 November 2026. All four teams are in Group A, and the top two teams in the table will go through to the final. The bottom two teams will play for third place.

The first-day win puts MilkLife Strikers level with Selangor FC Academy A at the top of the group, both on three points. After facing Lion City Sailors, MilkLife Strikers take on Nepal’s representative, Rato Bangala School, on Monday (2 November) at the same venue.

Source: Harian Bangsa (translated from Indonesian)

Article Link: https://harianbangsa.net/milklife-strikers-awali-singa-cup-2026-dengan-kemenangan-meyakinkan