In a year where Yukon athletes of all ages have been posting incredible results all over the map, it only makes sense that the Yukon Selects men's soccer team would continue with that history-making trend at the national championships in Calgary.

The Selects went into the championships, which started last week and wrapped up on Monday, ranked 11th in the country. While they would improve on that ranking by one spot, the real story was the fact they recorded their first-ever point at nationals in a tie with Nova Scotia Friday, then followed that up with a win over New Brunswick Sunday.

'We played great,' summed up Joe Zuccarini, head coach of the Selects. 'We definitely surprised some people. The calibre of play was unbelievably high, probably the best you can see in Canada.

'We played incredibly well and everybody worked their asses off.'

The Selects opened the tournament against the number-three ranked Quebec on Thursday.

The first 15 minutes of the game were very even, as both teams had scoring chances. In the 18th minute, a hard tackle in the box by Morgan Fraughton resulted in a penalty shot being awarded to Quebec and their shooter made no mistake, giving them a 1-0 lead.

Only a minute later, the Selects replied with a beautiful goal off the head of Ryan O'Donovan, finishing a perfect cross from captain Jake Hanson.

Perhaps finally realizing they were up against a formidable opponent in the Selects, Quebec seemed to turn it up a notch after that, and thanks to an impressive individual effort, regained the lead 2-1.

Another foul at the 32 minute mark, this time just outside the box, gave Quebec another penalty shot and on a nice set play, they found the back of the net, making it 3-1 after the first half.

The second half saw both teams come out strong, but in the 60th minute, it was Quebec netting a marker once again, making it 4-1. Another late marker by the province would make it 5-1, and that's how the game would finish.

Yukon striker Ammon Hoefs had two breakaways in the second half, but despite incredible effort to get in the clear, could not find the back of the net.

Hanson was heard saying the Quebec team was the best he has ever played. As a former elite university player in the U.S., that's quite a testament.

After their loss to Quebec, the Selects regrouped and fought to a 1-1 tie against Nova Scotia on Friday the first point ever recorded at nationals by the territory.

'I think Nova Scotia was totally surprised by our speed,' said Zuccarini. 'It could have gone either way, both teams were fairly even. It was a really good game to watch.'

Paul Fraughton scored the Yukon's goal on a free kick from 20 yards out. The team then shut down numerous attempts by N.S. in the game's dying minutes to salvage the tie.

The tie and a day of rest on Saturday seemed to give the Selects some much-needed momentum, as they faced New Brunswick Sunday afternoon.

Peter Mather opened the scoring for the Selects in the 15th minute, on a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out. But New Brunswick was quick to answer, making it 1-1 just minutes later.

Then, the men from the territory quickly responded, on a perfectly-timed head ball by Victor Lavanderos, off a well-struck kick by Donnie Richardson. The Selects defense than took over, shutting down the N.B. forwards. Fraughton added the insurance goal in

the 88th minute, making the final score 3-1.

'Against New Brunswick, we were unlucky not to be up 6-1,' said Zuccarini. 'We missed three open nets. But we really took it to them, we were definitely the stronger team.'

The Selects finished the tournament against Manitoba, a tough game considering a few of the players were nursing injuries. The night before the Manitoba matchup, O'Donovan's knee was 'like a balloon it was so swollen,' said Zuccarini. But after some ice, he started the game, as did Fraughton, who also had a swollen knee.

It was scoreless after the first half and it would take another 10 minutes into the second before Manitoba finally booted a goal. The Selects thought they had replied just a few minutes later, but the goal was called back due to a hand ball.

'Then, about three quarters of the way in, there was a hard tackle (on Yukon's Lavanderos) in the Manitoba box area,' explained Zuccarini. 'We thought it was a penalty kick, but the referee didn't even give a foul.

'Victor broke his arm. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't at all pleased with the officiating in that game.'

The Selects kept pushing, but couldn't seem to find the net. With less then five minutes remaining, Manitoba would add another marker, making the final score 2-0.

The loss meant a 10th place finish for the Selects, which is one spot up from the last time they attended the national in 2000. Also in 2000, the Selects only scored once, while they notched five goals this time around.

'It feels good,' said Zuccarini of the Selects' performance. 'Every time you go to these tournaments, you learn things. I knew the type of competition we were going to have and I think we played good all around. We never got blown out.'

The best part about the tournament, said Zuccarini, was that every single player on the Selects stepped up and gave 110 per cent.

'To me, there wasn't a surprise. Donny (Richardson), who's just 17, played in almost all of the games. He was just superb out there. But I can't name just one or two people. All the young guys really stepped up. Our defence was solid, our midfield played unbelievable. Our forwards took an unbelievable amount of knocks and still kept playing hard out there.'

The team lost forward Ammon Hoefs after the first two games, to a family emergency, which Zuccarini said left a fairly large hole.

'I think, if he was there, the game against Manitoba would have been different, no doubt.'

Still, the team returned home knowing they gave it all they had, said Zuccarini, and everyone should be proud.

'I think we were all really serious about why we were there. We worked really, really hard this year and it paid off.'

The Selects will take some time off from practice now before deciding on any tournaments they might attend in the future. The next national championships will be in B.C., so it's possible the Yukon could return to the championships, looking to improve on

their ranking.

More than 1,800 players on 104 teams competed in six national championship events held across the country this past week.

Other than the Selects, three more Yukon rep teams travelled to nationals. The Grizzlies and Northern Blazers competed at the U-14 Tide Cup in Moncton, N.B., while the Ice Breakers represented the territory at the U-16 Adidas Cup in Mount Pearl, NL.