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.

SINGAPORE, MettaNEWS – MilkLife Strikers began their campaign at the early-age football tournament Singa Cup 2026 with a brilliant result. Facing host representatives Lion City Sailors, MilkLife Strikers won 6-1 in the match at The Rainforest Hub, West Coast, Singapore, on Sunday (1 November 2026).

Ika Wonda, a forward from SD Kristen Manahan Surakarta primary school, was the star of MilkLife Strikers’ win after scoring three goals, a hat-trick. The positive result is also important capital for the team in the Girls U12 competition.

MilkLife Strikers did not go on the attack straight away. Ika Wonda and her team-mates first read the playing pattern of Lion City Sailors, who applied a high-pressing strategy from the start of the match.

But they handled the pressure well. MilkLife Strikers played calmly and relied on combinations of short passes to control the match.

The deadlock was finally broken in the third minute. Locita Waranggani got past the opposing defenders and put MilkLife Strikers 1-0 up.

The goal disrupted Lion City Sailors’ concentration. MilkLife Strikers then doubled their lead with a header from Keyla Azzahra Putri in the eighth minute.

A minute later, MilkLife Strikers were awarded a penalty, which Nadia Shakila Azzahra converted perfectly. The lead grew after Ika Wonda scored two more goals in the 10th minute.

In the second half, MilkLife Strikers tried to extend their lead. Instead, Lion City Sailors pulled a goal back through Hana Raiqa in the 23rd minute.

Even so, MilkLife Strikers kept control of the game. Ika Wonda finally completed her impressive display by scoring her third goal with three minutes of the match left.

The goal sealed MilkLife Strikers’ win with a final score of 6-1.

Jacksen Praises Players’ Mentality and Effectiveness

Jacksen F. Tiago, coach of MilkLife Kickers, praised his players’ performance. He said effectiveness in using chances was one of the main factors in the team’s win.

Jacksen also said the players were able to cope with the pressure, even though they had to face 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 he was happy to see the players overcome their nerves in the first match, especially as the win came against opponents with quite a good quality of play.

Beyond the technical side, Jacksen also highlighted the team cohesion built during the preparation period. He said the players, who come from various regions and different team backgrounds, had built good chemistry.

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.

Jacksen F. Tiago

Ika Wonda Happy to Score a Hat-trick

Meanwhile, Ika Wonda said she was happy to start Singa Cup 2026 with a win and three goals.

The player from Surakarta said the positive result was 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 her hat-trick owed much to Jacksen F. Tiago’s special instructions. As a forward, her task was 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

A Benchmark for Girls’ Football Development

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 2026 is part of an effort to give the best players of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars more competitive match experience.

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

He added that the international tournament is also an opportunity to measure the results of the development work carried out over the past few years.

By facing teams from various countries, the players are expected to gain more experience and playing time to improve their abilities.

Singa Cup is an early-age football tournament held in Singapore since 2011. The 2026 edition has 136 teams from 13 countries.

Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and MilkLife sent MilkLife Strikers to compete in the Girls U12 category. The squad is made up of players selected from the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars.

The Girls U12 category of Singa Cup 2026 has four teams playing a round-robin league from 1 to 3 November 2026. The top two teams in the table will go through to the final, while the other two will play for third place.

The win over Lion City Sailors gives MilkLife Strikers three points and puts them in contention at the top of the table with Selangor FC Academy A, who also have three points.

In their next match, on Monday (2 November 2026), MilkLife Strikers are scheduled to face Nepal’s representative, Rato Bangala School, at the same venue.

The result of that match will be a chance for MilkLife Strikers to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Singa Cup 2026 final.

Source: Mettanews.id (translated from Indonesian)

Article Link: https://mettanews.id/buka-singa-cup-2026-dengan-kemenangan-6-1-striker-asal-solo-cetak-hat-trick/