Whitehorse Daily Star

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SUPER SUB – Yukon Strikers player Felix Maltais, left, eludes a P.E.I. defender at the U-14 national soccer championships last week. Maltais led the attack with two goals. Photo submitted.

Strikers were competitive at nationals: coaches

Despite winless records, two Yukon Strikers teams competing at nationals last week have nothing to hang their heads about, their coaches say.

By Marcel Vander Wier on October 15, 2014

Despite winless records, two Yukon Strikers teams competing at nationals last week have nothing to hang their heads about, their coaches say.

The U-14 boys team returned home from Charlottetown yesterday after finishing 0-4 at the Canadian club soccer championships.

Following early losses to Alberta and P.E.I. teams, the boys dropped two more games: 5-0 to Saskatchewan’s Unidad 2000 and 3-2 to the host province’s second squad, the Eastern Eagles.

Co-captain Simon Kischuk and Felix Maltais scored for the Strikers, who were up 2-1 midway through the contest.

Maltais had two of the Yukon’s three goals at the tournament, netting each after coming on as a substitute mid-game.

“We should have beat them,” said head coach Dale Cheeseman of the Eastern Eagles. “We outplayed them the whole game, but a few calls didn’t go our way. The boys have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Regardless of their record, his players matured significantly during the week, added Cheeseman.

“There was a significant difference in play as the week went on,” he said. “The team gelled and in our last game we played a solid 70 minutes.

“The boys played well and they all got something out of it. In my opinion, if we could have played to our potential, we could have won three of the games.”

Kischuk said the team was finally able to settle in against the Eagles in their final game.

“We were more in our comfort zone and it was easier to play that game,” he told the Star.

“We did better than we thought we would against a lot of the teams,” added co-captain Ethan Vanderkley, who played defence.

Meanwhile, in Mount Pearl, Nfld., the U-16 girls team waited until the last possible moment to score their first goal of the tournament.

Utility player Aleyx Smith struck late in an 8-1 loss to Newfoundland and Labrador in the team’s final game Monday, getting the Yukon on the board for the first and only time.

The girls team led by coach Jake Hanson finished 0-5, following up early blowouts from Alberta and Manitoba with a 4-0 loss to New Brunswick and a 3-0 loss to P.E.I.

“We always walk away positive from something in the game,” said Hanson. “The kids grow in confidence because they’ve seen the best.

“I always encourage players to go to nationals if they can. It’s a great opportunity to play against the top players and teams from Canada and see what the benchmark is.”

The Strikers headed for Newfoundland with just 14 players – including four from the U-14 program – and two early injuries left the club with just one substitute player for the lion’s share of the games.

They had their share of chances, but by the final game, the players were fatigued, Hanson said.

The nationals provide a “really neat opportunity” for Yukon players, said captain Jamie Joe-Hudson, the team’s sweeper.

“In the beginning, everyone’s really scared and nervous, but once you get going, it’s really fun.”

Dawson City keeper Sandy Dubois had a busy week between the pipes.

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