Yukon Selects finish as runner up at Alaska championships

The Yukon Selects found a new rival at this year's Alaska State Championships outdoor soccer tournament.

The Yukon Selects found a new rival at this year’s Alaska State Championships outdoor soccer tournament.

Unfortunately for the Yukoners though, it took giving up a lead in the round robin and losing the final in a penalty shootout to establish it.

The team was Fairbanks’ Rusty Buffalo, whose members are no strangers to coming up to Whitehorse to play. However, this was an improved Rusty Buffalo squad at the Alaska championships, including several new players and a head coach.

On two occasions, the Fairbanks boys got the better of the Yukoners, including a late goal to tie up the contest in the round robin and, more importantly, winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout to capture the A division title.

“We really felt we were the better team, that we could out play them, but they played really good tactics, they played really smart,” said Yukon Select player Peter Mather. “We thought because we were younger and a little bit fitter that in the final there was a real feeling that this game was ours to win or lose.”

The Alaska State Championship began last Friday in Anchorage. The Selects got off to a roaring start, netting four goals in its shutout victory over Red Fury, also from Fairbanks.

Two of the territory’s goals were put in in the first half by team captain and defenceman Morgan Fraughton, while Jeff Hills and Marshall Ewing each scored once in the second frame.

Charlie Hoeller and Zach Young split the goaltending duties, each helping the squad post its shutout.

“It was a good way to start off with the shutout and it gave the team some confidence,” Mather said.

Game two saw the team take on a much improved Rusty Buffalo group. After scoring the first goal in the second half, Fairbanks responded by tying it up. Playing a defence-oriented style limited the Yukon’s chances and the contest ended in a 1-1 draw.

Mather was the lone goal scorer for the Selects, sending the ball into the back of the net from a shot about 25 yards out.

He said his team controlled most of the play in the game and were disappointed with the end result.

“It was a tough game that way,” Mather said. “We got pretty frustrated with not being able to get passes behind their defenders or get chances on goal.”

Mather said it was an effective technique, adding Rusty Buffalo had a couple of players that were really fast, so team’s opportunities to score would often come just by kicking the ball long and having those guys chase after it.

With so many players back in Fairbanks’ zone it limited the Yukon’s scoring chances by not allowing the team’s more skilled players as much space to move around, Mather said.

The final round robin game was against Soon to Be Pros from Anchorage. Needing a win to ensure them a spot in the final, the Yukoners went to work, netting three quick goals. With a comfortable lead, the team decided to rest some of its players, a decision that almost cost them the game.

Soon to be Pros took advantage of the situation, netting two straight goals, however the Yukoners put in one more and ended up taking it 4-3.

The win set up a semi-final match against Anchorage’s New Sagaya. The Yukon never trailed in its first playoff match, but found it impossible to establish a comfortable lead against the Alaskan squad. Both teams swapped goals and eventually needed a penalty shootout to decide the 3-3 draw.

The Yukoners didn’t falter once in the shootout, scoring on all five occasions, winning 5-4. The team’s scorers in the first two halfs were Ewing, Mather and Boris Hoefs.

The win set up a battle with Rusty Buffalo for all the marbles. Rusty Buffalo handed a surprising loss to Full Force of Anchorage, which has won the majority of the Alaska State Championships in the past 10 years.

Hoping to counter the team’s defence-first style, the Yukoners planned to feed the ball to their wingers, who had enough speed to create some chances, Mather said.

Unfortunately for the Yukoners, however, Rusty Buffalo also made an adjustment, playing a more high pressured tempo to start off the game

After taking it to the Selects for the majority of the opening half, the team scored to make it 1-0. This was the first time the Yukoners trailed all tournament, but it didn’t last long thanks to Fraughton, who scored his third of the championships nearing the end of the first half.

Nothing was decided in the second half or extra time, so once again the Selects found themselves entering another shootout.

The outcome wasn’t as favourable though and Rusty Buffalo won it 4-2.

Hoeller said the tie in the round robin was proof they were playing a better Rusty Buffalo team.

“That was sort of the calling card that we were up against a new as we knew it Rusty Buffalo squad,” he said. “The team we were used to before, they sort of didn’t exist anymore. They definitely improved.”

Hoeller said he is anxious to get another crack at them, adding there is a real friendship and comraderie between the two teams that has developed over the years.

“They played their heart out,” he said. “They earned it, they deserved it sort of thing, we just didn’t expect it from them.”

Despite the outcome, he said he enjoyed playing in the tournament.

“This was just a totally awesome group to play with,” Hoeller said. “All of these kids have great personalities, and being 53 you don’t always fit in with that age group, but we spanned the gap very well. It’s just a good group to be around.”