The Birth of a New Champion from the City of Heroes

The MilkLife Soccer Challenge (MLSC) Surabaya Series 2 2025-2026, held at Bogowonto Field and Jala Krida Soccer Field in Surabaya from May 12 to 17, 2026, reached its peak. Over five days, the tournament was attended by no less than 1,620 female students from 78 Elementary Schools (SD) and Islamic Elementary Schools (MI) in Surabaya and its surroundings. The participants were divided into 73 teams in the KU 10 category and 77 teams in the KU 12 category.

In the final match held on Sunday (17/5), the girls' football competition initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and MilkLife produced two new champions from two age group categories, namely SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B (KU 12) and SDN Manukan Kulon (KU 10).

In the KU 12 MilkLife Soccer Challenge (MLSC) Surabaya Series 2 2025 - 2026, the SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B team finally secured the title with a 6-5 victory in a penalty shootout, after finishing normal time with a score of 1-1. Meanwhile, in the KU 10 category, SDN Manukan Kulon also ensured victory thru a penalty shootout against SDN DR. Sutomo V/327.

Tight Match Ends with a Coin Toss in the U12 Category

SDN Manukan Kulon took an early lead thru their team captain, Emily Zitara, just five minutes into the match. Breaking free from the opposing defenders, Emily stood unmarked and calmly defeated the SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B goalkeeper, Mikayla Ramadhania, with a shot to the left side of the goal.

Even tho they were already ahead, SDN Manukan Kulon continued to apply pressure. Emily Zitara and her teammates launched several attacks on the defense area of SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B, which was reinforced by Locita Waranggaini Olah Nismara, who was awarded the Best Player title at the end of the tournament for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge (MLSC) Surabaya Series 2 2025-2026 in the KU 12 category. However, until halftime, the score of 1-0 in favor of SDN Manukan Kulon remained unchanged.

After continuously trying to build an attack, SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B finally managed to equalize thru Locita in the 19th minute, four minutes after the second half began. The player wearing number 10 unleashed a powerful shot that sailed past the SDN Manukan Kulon defense and was not anticipated by the goalkeeper.

As the match entered its final minutes, both teams took turns launching attacks. Locita from SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B and Alya Nisa Dzakiyah from SDN Manukan Kulon both tried several times to create opportunities for their respective teams. However, until the normal time ended, no additional goals were scored, so the match had to continue to a penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, both teams were still tied 5-5 after each of the six kickers had completed their task. According to the regulations, the winner is then determined thru a coin toss to decide which team gets the opportunity to kick and which team, represented by their goalkeeper, will try to block the kick. SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B took their turn as the kicker.

Darleine Maryam Khairunisa successfully carried out her duties well and ensured the victory of SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B. This victory for SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B also ensured the failure of SDN Manukan Kulon to win titles in the KU 10 and KU 12 categories.

The coach of SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B, Septyan Kurnia Hardiantoro, explained that one of the keys to his team's success in winning the MilkLife Soccer Challenge Surabaya Series 2 2025-2026 was maximum preparation. Septyan added that every participant from other schools also wanted to win, which motivated his team to prepare more thoroughly.

"Actually, I didn't predict we would make it to the finals because the average age of the players on this team is around 10 years old." I really appreciate the players for successfully winning the penalty shootout, it was amazing for me. Thank you also to the Djarum Foundation for organizing an event like this. This is the result of our hard work with long-term training, because I see that all the opponents are doing the same. So, after school, we immediately continue with practice," said Septyan.

Meanwhile, Locita Waranggaini Olah Nismara, who was awarded the Best Player title for KU 12, revealed that perseverance was the key to her team's victory today. Although they initially fell behind, Locita did not give up easily and eventually managed to score the equalizing goal.

"The final was very exciting, even tho we lost as supporters, it doesn't matter to me, what's important is the final result." When we were trailing 0-1, I didn't give up, it was still safe especially since there was still plenty of time. We kept pushing with the team, 'keep it up, keep it up', until finally we got a penalty and won," said Locita.

Flood of Goals to Penalty Shootout in KU 10 In the final of the KU 10 category, SDN Manukan Kulon emerged as the champion of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge (MLSC) Surabaya Series 2 2025–2026 after defeating SDN DR. Sutomo V/327 thru a penalty shootout. In the match, SDN Manukan Kulon fell behind several times before finally managing to bounce back and force the game into a penalty shootout.

SDN DR. Sutomo V/327 immediately took the lead just two minutes into the match thru the action of Shezan Azarine Fahima. Seven minutes later, Nayla Nur Hafizah managed to extend her team's lead, bringing SDN DR. Sutomo V/327 ahead 2-0.

SDN Manukan Kulon narrowed the gap with a long-range free kick scored by Keyvara Malayeka. Until the first half ended, SDN DR. Sutomo V/327 was still leading with a score of 2-1.

Entering the second half, SDN DR. Sutomo V/327 pulled ahead again after Adiba Utomo Putro scored a goal with a chip shot from outside the penalty box that the goalkeeper failed to reach. The goal brought SDN DR. Sutomo V/327 to a 3-1 lead.

However, SDN Manukan Kulon did not give up. Keyvara Malayeka scored again in the 24th minute to reduce the deficit. Three minutes later, the player with the number seven jersey scored again, completing his hat-trick and equalizing the score to 3-3. The score held until the end of regular time, so the match went to a penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, SDN Manukan Kulon successfully secured the championship title after two of their penalty takers fulfilled their duties. Meanwhile, SDN DR. Sutomo V/327, who had dominated throughout the regular time, had to concede defeat after only managing to score one goal from three penalty opportunities.

After the match, Keyvara, who became the hero of her team's victory today, admitted she was happy to help the team achieve victory. According to him, the coach's motivation was one of the key factors behind SDN Manukan Kulon's resurgence in the final match.

"We fell behind earlier, but the coach asked us not to give up, to keep trying and chase the goal until we finally succeeded." Happy to score a goal and, thank God, happy to be the champion," said Keyvara.

Sustainable Development is the Key to the Women's Football Ecosystem Head Coach of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, Jacksen Ferreira Tiago, considers the quality of players in Surabaya to be quite mature. This is inseparable from the Surabaya football ecosystem that has been in place for the past few years. Jacksen added that the abundance of talent from Surabaya means he will still discuss further with his staff to determine who truly deserves to be selected for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All Star in Kudus in mid-June.

"I see that there are still some teams with one player standing out more than the others." My hope for the future is that we can develop together as a team. The potential of the children from Surabaya is very, very great. If I look at the individuals present, once they are gathered into a team and trained well, they will be able to compete extraordinarily. Because in terms of posture, they are quite good and the women's football scene in Surabaya has been established for a long time, they definitely have much better maturity. "I will gather the players who have been selected for the All-Star from Extra Training Series 1 for a joint practice, then we can see who will be chosen to go to Kudus," said Jacksen.

The legend who has won the Indonesian League both as a player and coach with Persebaya Surabaya hopes that, gradually, the ecosystem of women's football will continue to develop in the future with more playing time and a competitive atmosphere frequently experienced by the players.

"The goal of this MLSC is to create a mature ecosystem for Indonesian women's football." One of them is to ensure that these players have sufficient flight hours and match experience. Competitions like this only happen twice a year, outside of that I hope they can continue to gain knowledge in their daily lives with SSB (Football School)," said Jacksen.

The Organizing Committee of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge 2025 - 2026, Edi Supriyanto, appreciated the enthusiasm of the people of Surabaya and its surroundings toward this event. According to Edi, the development of women's football must continue in order to create a sustainable ecosystem in the future.

"MLSC Series 2 is a continuation of Series 1 which was held last year." In terms of quantity, there is a slight increase in KU 10 and a decrease in KU 12. My hope for Series 1 next year is that the number of participants can continue to grow. Because a training program is considered successful if it has many participants. Therefore, from there, more and more female talents will continue to emerge. In the future, we hope this tiered competition can help create a more mature ecosystem for Indonesian women's football," said Edi.

The representative of the East Java Provincial Football Association (Asprov PSSI), Arief Anton Sujarwo, appreciated the organization of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge in his region, which has been held for several years. Arief hopes that the development of football in East Java, especially in the women's category, will continue to improve with the organization of competitions from year to year.

"We see this from the competitive side, this is a significant step. Because for the athletes, there is already a path for development that will certainly have a positive impact on football in East Java, especially women's football. We also hope that in the future, not only athletes will be developed, but also coaches. If the quality of the coaches can be good and evenly distributed, then women's football will continue to grow," said Arief.

Here is the list of winners of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge Surabaya Series 2 2025 - 2026:

Age Category 10 Champion:
SDN Manukan Kulon Runner-up: SDN DR. Sutomo V/327
Semifinalists: SDN Ketabang I, SDN Ngagel Rejo I/ 396
Top Scorer: Atsilah Dhia Syarafana (31 goals) - SDN Ngagel Rejo I/ 396
Best Player: Keyvara Maleyeka - SDN Manukan Kulon
Best Goalkeeper: Almahyra Sheza Arifin - SDN Manukan Kulon
Fairplay Team: SDN Sawahan 4

Age Category 12 Champion:
SDN Pacarkeling V/ 186 B
Runner-up: SDN Manukan Kulon
Semifinalists: SDN Manukan Kulon II/499 B, SDN Tanah Kalikedinding I/251
Top Scorer: Anindita Lesmana (29 goals) - SDN Manukan Kulon II/499 B
Best Player: Locita Waranggaini Olah Nismara - SDN Pacarkeling V/186 B
Best Goalkeeper: Ainur Fitriani - SDN Pacarkeling V/168 B
Fairplay Team: SDN Pakis 1/368

Visit www.milklifesoccer.com to see the schedule, match results, standings, and the list of goal scorers for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge. And follow the MilkLife Soccer Challenge social media accounts (Instagram @milklifesoccer, TikTok @milklifesoccer, YouTube @milklifesoccer) to get interesting information about the development of women's soccer.