On the eve of the World Cup in Brazil, a group of young Yukon soccer stars put together some magic of their own last weekend in Anchorage.

The Yukon Strikers U12 team defended their 2013 title, winning their second straight championship at the Alaska Airlines Cup.

The young squad won all three of its round robin games by an aggregate score of 25-3 on Friday and Saturday.

The club beat the CSC Ravens 14-1, the CSI Velocity 9-2 and the Fairbanks Rush 2-0 on the strength of an Ole Heath shutout.

The Yukoners then went on to beat the host Alaska Rush squad 5-0 in the crossover semifinal Sunday morning, before besting AYSC Arsenal 4-1 in the championship that afternoon.

Top scorers were Joe Hanson (10 goals), Ben Kishchuk (seven), Austin Bryant (six), and Andreas Lavanderos (five).

Last year, the club – then known as the Yukon Junior Selects – won the U11 category at the Alaska Airlines Cup. That tournament was won by an aggregate score of 41-4.

"The games may look like they were easy, but we had to work hard to score goals,” coach Victor Lavanderos told the Star. "We controlled the play, and weren't giving the ball away.

"The other teams were athletic, but we played better as a team. I was so proud of them.”

Coach Lavanderos said the boys' play drew rave reviews from onlookers, many of whom complimented team members post-match.

"That was really nice to see,” said Lavanderos.

The pressure to repeat as champions was there for the boys, but they proved to be calm despite it.

"We're not asking them to win. We're asking them to play good soccer,” the coach explained. "The boys showed discipline to play within the system, so it was a nice feeling to repeat, knowing we

played good soccer.”

Winning as a team proves to be a sweeter feeling than relying on the talents of a few individuals, added co-coach Jake Hanson.

"It's a different dynamic,” he said. "The boys were able to move the ball and manage the ball so well, it kind of negated the play of some bigger, physical players on the other teams.

"Technically, they played very well. It certainly speaks volumes to the level the boys are playing at at this point. You can just see they love to play and they love to play well.”

The Yukon also sent two U16 teams to compete in the tournament.

A male squad of nine boys, filled out by six Juneau guest players, lost all four of their games.

"They actually played U19 against some teams with older players,” Hanson explained. "They were in tough, but the boys did very well. There were a lot of close games.”

Skyler Bryant played a starring role for the low-scoring young squad, striking twice.

The U16 girls team was made up of eight Yukoners, four girls from Anchorage, and two more guest players from Juneau.

That team beat the eventual tournament champions, but ultimately finished last in their pool.

Hanson said the Yukon Strikers' recent involvement with the Anchorage tournament is due to proximity, affordability and the level of competition.

"There's some really good teams in Anchorage, and it's an opportunity to see good competition,” he explained.

"The younger boys are playing at a very high level, and we like to take the opportunities we can to see a couple of really strong teams.”