SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. Team Yukon will now look to a familiar foe for their first victories in soccer at the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games.

After losses to B.C. and Alberta on the boys' side, as well as Saskatchewan and Manitoba on the girls' side, both Yukon soccer teams will hit the pitch against the Northwest Territories Monday at Millennium Place, in the crossover matchups to decide fifth place.

The girls will be looking for their first goal of the tournament, as they found themselves on the wrong end of 7-0 and 6-0 scores.

The boys finally got on the board in an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Alberta Saturday, on the heels of a 3-0 decision against B.C. Coty Fraser booted the lone goal for the Yukon.

Both Yukon squads were actually strong in their opening games, despite what the scores might suggest.

'Our goal was to keep it within a three-goal spread, so we cannot complain,' said Rick Reaume, head coach of the Yukon boys' team.

'We wanted to play strong defensively. Once we had the butterflies out, it was just another soccer game. We play in the men's league at home, which is a higher level than this. We don't necessarily win, but we're used to this.'

Reaume said the size difference wasn't as much of a factor as some might think.

More important in soccer, he said, is speed something both B.C. and Alberta certainly had, as they were both all-star teams that had recently competed at the national championships for the under-17 age group.

But the coach pointed out his team has some excellent speed up front as well.

'When they get the ball through, they can give guys up there fits.'

The Yukon girls started out with their own dose of pressure up front in their opener against Saskatchewan, but just couldn't cash in. On the other end, the prairie squad found the back of the net easily in the first half, despite a great defensive effort by Team Yukon, jumping out to a 5-0 lead.

'We were working too hard to have those go in,' said Yukon head coach John MacPhail. 'It took the wind right out of their sails.'

MacPhail opted to go with Ateca Mills in net rather than Nadine Poirier for the second half and it seemed to pay off. The coach said he sensed an immediate change in attitude from his players.

Mills made some big stops to get the crowd going and the players in front of her continued to work hard, as the team allowed just two goals in the final 40 minutes.

'It was harder than I expected,' said Mills, when asked about her stint in goal.

'I don't think we were prepared at first, but as soon as settled down, we were more composed in the second half.'

Mills said one of the advantages for Team Yukon is the players have been together for a few years and know each other quite well.

'We're so close, we can pull each other together, pull each other through. It brings up your spirits, when you make a mistake and then have someone right there telling you it's OK.'

The Yukon girls carry the youngest soccer player in their tournament, Mary Bennett, who is just 12 years old. Bennett certainly held her own in the first two contests, not looking at all out of place even when up against a rough and tough Saskatchewan team.

'Saskatchewan was strong,' agreed MacPhail. 'That's why they're ranked number two. They're just coming from all-star nationals, so we're playing some pretty good competition.'

The Northwest Territories teams may not have competed at all-star nationals, but both Reaume and MacPhail know they can't be taken lightly.

You can bet it will be a full-on battle in both the boys and girls matchups with both territories wanting to end the Games on a winning note.

Check Wednesday's Star for a full report on this afternoon's games.