The luck of the Irish was not with two Whitehorse soccer teams who traveled to Juneau, Alaska last weekend.

The local clubs finished the 2013 Shamrock Invitational Tournament in fourth, and sixth place, respectively.

Six teams participated in the tournament, including three from the host city and one from Petersburg, Alaska.

Juneau Yellow won the tournament after going unbeaten over the weekend.

Whitehorse Blue finished in fourth place with a 2-3-1 record over the weekend, dropping the third-place game 4-2. Blue player Kealy Sweet was awarded female MVP for the tournament while Irishman Eric Murphy led all Whitehorse players with five goals.

Whitehorse Orange finished 0-6, dropping the fifth-place game 2-0.

"We were in every game,” said organizer Sylvain Laferriere, who played for Team Orange. "It's not like we got beat up.”

Laferriere said that the success of the weekend wasn't constrained only to the results from the pitch, but also in the fact that 25 local soccer players were able to bond and enjoy an experience outside of the Yukon.

"In my book, we had a lot of fun,” he said. "It was an amazing weekend like last year. I cannot ask for more than that, really.”

The Shamrock Invitational began last year, with two Whitehorse-based teams finishing fourth and tied for fifth.

This year, inclement weather in Skagway forced a juggling of the weekend schedule as the Whitehorse teams arrived late. But despite some early worries, everything worked out fine, Laferriere said.

"We had so much fun,” he said. "It's not only about soccer. It's the St. Patrick's Day weekend. There's a lot of huge parties around. This year, we knew we had to go back. You know, we have so much fun, we just want to go back and have more fun each year.”

Players were pulled from three local leagues – the over-35, and both the recreational and competitive co-ed leagues.

Laferriere said the weekend serves as a great time for local players to bond.

"You know, I've been playing with some guys for three years in the over-35 league here, and for some of us, it's the first time in three years that I can sit down and chat with them,” he said.

"Because on Saturday morning, you play and then you join your family after. It's not like we have a lot of chances to really talk to everyone.”

Murphy was a late substitute for Whitehorse Blue and admitted he was nervous prior to the tournament. But the camaraderie shared between teammates and opponents alike soon had him feeling at home.

"Everyone was so welcoming,” he said. "It was an amazing time and a good experience.”

Next month, Juneau will attend the Yukon Brewing invitational tournament in Whitehorse, scheduled for April 19 to 21.

Two Alaskan teams will compete, one in each division (co-ed and over-35).