SD Raiders Women’s First Grade Strengthened with Five New Signings Ahead of the 2027 Season
SD Raiders FC has signed five new players for its Women’s First Grade squad ahead of the 2027 season.
The signings follow a historic year for the club, which won the Football NSW League One Women’s title and earned promotion to the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition. Now the Raiders are building a squad to match that step up.
New Signings
Alex Huynh – Defender
The SD Raiders are delighted to welcome Alex Huynh to the club ahead of the 2027 season!
Huynh is a well-travelled central defender who has played at the top of the game in Australia and Europe. A Western Sydney product, she was part of the Wanderers’ inaugural W-League squad before heading to the University of Colorado in the United States. She later signed with Napoli in Italy’s Serie A and spent time with Danish club Fortuna Hjørring, then returned home and made an appearance for the Matildas in 2021. Back in New South Wales, she has played NPL Women’s football with Macarthur Rams, and she has also pulled on the Newcastle Jets shirt in the A-League Women. Huynh brings that top-level experience to the Raiders’ backline, along with the leadership and communication to organise the players around her as the club steps up to NPL Women’s NSW.
Mel Caceres – Midfielder
The SD Raiders are delighted to welcome Mel Caceres to the club ahead of the 2027 season!
Caceres is an experienced midfielder who has been central to some of NSW’s most successful recent sides. She guided Macarthur Rams to the 2022 NPL Women’s NSW Championship and played in the club’s 2023 Grand Final. She returned to the A-League Women with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2022 for the first time since 2014, scoring on her debut and re-signing with the club for 2023/24. Caceres creates chances in attacking areas and stays calm under pressure. She brings a winner’s mentality to the Raiders, and her leadership and work ethic will count both on and off the pitch.
Miku Sunaga – Midfielder
The SD Raiders are delighted to welcome Miku Sunaga to the club ahead of the 2027 season!
Sunaga was named NPL Women’s NSW Player of the Year in 2024, in a season where Macarthur Rams won both the Premiership and the Championship. The Japanese midfielder helped the Rams to three straight NPL Women’s NSW Championships, playing more than 70 games and scoring 24 goals along the way, and was also voted the club’s Coach’s Player of the Year. She then stepped up to the A-League Women with Perth Glory for the 2024/25 season. Her vision and technique will help the team set the tempo and link defence to attack as it settles into NPL Women’s NSW.
Laura Murtagh – Forward
The SD Raiders are delighted to welcome Laura Murtagh to the club ahead of the 2027 season!
Murtagh is an attacking player who has built her reputation in NSW’s top women’s competition with Macarthur Rams. She has a knack for big moments, as she scored both goals in a 2020 win over Blacktown Spartans, and opened the scoring in the Rams’ 2022 Championship semi-final against APIA Leichhardt on the way to the title. Murtagh works hard in the final third and is ruthless in front of goal.
Keiko Tanaka – Midfielder
The SD Raiders are delighted to welcome Keiko Tanaka to the club ahead of the 2027 season!
Tanaka is a versatile and highly respected player whose career spans Japan and Australia. She spent most of a decade in Japan’s Nadeshiko League, the country’s top women’s competition, with clubs including TEPCO Mareeze, MyNavi Sendai, and NHK Spring Yokohama FC Seagulls, where she was captain, and she is a former Japan U-19 representative. Since moving to Sydney in 2020, she has played in the NSW NPL system, including at Gladesville Ravens, where she helped the club earn promotion. She can play in defence, midfield and attack, bringing physical presence, game intelligence and composure on the ball.
More to come
There’s more to come from the Raiders as we continue unveiling our Women’s First Grade Squad for 2027. Follow the SD Raiders channels to see each signing as it lands.
More signings. More announcements. More reasons to be at Ernie Smith Reserve in 2027.