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.

Esposin, SINGAPORE – The name Ika Wonda stole the attention in MilkLife Strikers’ first match at Singa Cup 2026. The forward from SD Kristen Manahan, Solo, showed her sharpness straight away by scoring three goals, a hat-trick, as she led MilkLife Strikers to a 6-1 thrashing of host representatives Lion City Sailors at The Rainforest Hub, West Coast, Singapore, on Sunday (1 November 2026).

Ika’s impressive display was one of the keys to MilkLife Strikers’ winning start at the early-age football tournament. Despite facing a home team that applied high pressure from the start of the match, Ika and her team-mates played calmly and controlled the game.

MilkLife Strikers took the lead in the third minute through Locita Waranggani. Five minutes later, Keyla Azzahra Putri doubled the lead with a header. Nadia Shakila Azzahra then made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the ninth minute.

Ika began to show her sharpness a minute later. The young forward scored two goals within one minute to put MilkLife Strikers 5-0 up at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Lion City Sailors pulled one back through Hana Raiqa in the 23rd minute. But Ika got her name on the scoresheet again three minutes before the end of the match. The goal completed her hat-trick and sealed MilkLife Strikers’ 6-1 win.

Ika said she was happy to start the tournament with a positive result. She said her three goals were the fruit of the hard work of all the players during the training camp.

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.

Ika Wonda

She also said the three goals owed much to the guidance of MilkLife Strikers coach Jacksen F. Tiago. As a player in the front line, Ika had a special message to turn every chance into a goal.

Today I also scored a hat-trick. That 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 coach Jacksen F. Tiago said effectiveness in using chances was one of the important factors behind the win. He also praised the mentality of the 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.

Jacksen F. Tiago

He said the players were also able to overcome their nerves in the first match. The experience of facing opponents from other countries is a valuable opportunity for their development.

Not only that, I am also happy 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

Jacksen added that team cohesion was built not only through technical training but also through togetherness off the pitch. The players, who come from different team backgrounds, built chemistry during the training camp.

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

Teddy Tjahjono, representing Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and Program Director of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, said the win in the first match was positive news for the development of early-age girls’ football.

He said MilkLife Strikers’ participation in Singa Cup is a chance for the best players of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2025/2026 to experience competition at international level.

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 the chance to compete at a more competitive level.

Teddy Tjahjono

Singa Cup is an annual early-age football tournament held in Singapore since 2011. In 2026, the tournament has 136 teams from 13 countries.

Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation together with MilkLife sent MilkLife Strikers to compete in the Girls U12 category. That category has four teams playing a round-robin league from 1 to 3 November 2026.

All four teams are in Group A. The top two teams will go through to the final, while the other two will play for third place.

Source: Espos.id (translated from Indonesian)

Article Link: https://sport.espos.id/milklife-strikers-menang-telak-di-singapura-siswi-asal-solo-jadi-bintang-2263325