SINGAPORE – After a 4-3 loss to Queensway Secondary School in February, naysayers had written off Meridian Secondary School’s chances of retaining their B Division girls’ football title.

But the defending champions were determined to prove them wrong and went into the final on April 18 wanting revenge.

Brushing off their critics, Meridian claimed their second consecutive title with a 4-3 win at the Jalan Besar Stadium, with forward Liyana Indah Rickit bagging all four goals.

It continued the 14-year-old’s remarkable scoring run against Queensway in finals. The bane of the girls in purple also bagged five in 2023 and another two in 2022 in Meridian’s C Division triumphs.

Said coach Fabio da Silva: “Liyana has a very huge ability, she’s a very skilful player... We gave her the freedom to go and enjoy the game – that’s what we see from the goals that she’s scored.”

However, with February’s result still fresh in the memory, there were doubts that Liyana and Meridian’s run would continue.

Said captain Nisreen Aziz: “Everyone had said after our first loss to Queensway, it was over for us. But we knew that we still had the chance and we fought for our spot, we knew we deserved this.

“So we put in the effort, we pushed through to win the final.”

But their route to victory was not without its challenges, as Meridian staved off a late comeback from Queensway.

Meridian dominated the early proceedings, with Liyana opening the scoring in the 15th minute as she skipped past several Queensway defenders before burying the ball from the edge of the penalty box.

She added a second 17 minutes later before making it 3-0 for Meridian on the stroke of half-time, as she glided past Queensway’s defence once again with some nifty footwork before side-footing the ball into the goal from close range.

Liyana did not take long to make an impact upon returning to the pitch after the interval.

After just three minutes, she latched on to a poor clearance by a Queensway defender before firing into the back of the net, giving Meridian a comfortable four-goal cushion with 38 minutes of the 70-minute match elapsed.

But several substitutions and a change of tactics by Queensway sparked some life into the former B Division champions.

Queensway striker Bernice Lim gave her side a reprieve with a slick lob over Meridian’s goalkeeper in the 48th minute, before grabbing another 20 minutes later.

A comeback looked likely as Queensway skipper Qarissa Putri Ramadhani Zahary scored from an indirect free kick three minutes into stoppage time, but Meridian hung on for the win.

“We were losing focus (in the second half) and maybe we got a bit complacent, but coach told us to be humble and continue playing, so that’s just what we did,” said Liyana.

Da Silva praised his charges for their perseverance, especially with the nervy end to the match.

He said: “I liked to see Queensway work very hard and come back strong against us – 4-3 is a close game.

“But I give credit to the team that worked very hard to keep the victory.

“I’m very happy with how the team performed. The whole year, they focused on winning this competition.”

While there was pressure to retain the title after their maiden triumph in 2023, da Silva was pleased with how his players managed the added expectations.

He said: “Of course, there was the pressure to keep winning, but we always tell them to enjoy the game, that’s the most important thing.”

Despite the loss, Queensway coach Dilwant Singh was encouraged by his charges’ performance.

He said: “Technically, they (Meridian) had better players than us, but we had heart and it showed in the second half.

“Heart, work rate and teamwork can do a lot of difference and the kids wanted it.

“That shows the character and desire the team has and we just have to follow the same direction.”