A few members of Yukon's U19 soccer team are trying to get to where many of the Yukon Selects have been: playing for a university team.

That experience separated the two clubs in the Senior Metro League match at Porter Creek Secondary School Wednesday evening.

The Selects took the game 4-1 after a missed penalty by U19 forward Caleb Kelly and a near goal when Kurtis Hills struck a shot bound for the corner, forcing Selects goalkeeper George Maratos to make a diving save.

The Selects are currently training to compete at the Challenge Cup, Canadian Men's Nationals, to be held in Brossard, Que., near Montreal, from Oct. 5-10.

The Selects competed Outside most recently in the Honda North and BC Indoor Soccer League 25th Annual Indoor Soccer Tournament held at the Northern Sport Centre in Prince George, B.C., in March.

That squad, which boasted five U19 players, lost in the quarterfinals in Prince George.

The younger group of Selects players took the field in last night's match for the U19s, which is in the throes of a transition year with a handful of the players looking to break onto university teams in the fall.

That desire has made it difficult for the U19s to secure commitment to play Outside in tournaments in Anchorage and Fairbanks, said assistant coach Chris Stacey.

"This is a big step for them. A lot of them have potential.”

Kelly has his sights set on breaking onto the University of Alberta squad in Edmonton, centre-back Dillon Vickerman is heading to the University of Victoria, winger Robin Stacey is looking to Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and David Ratcliff is set for Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton.

Many of the Selects players are alumni of these and other universities, as well as have experience at the Canada Summer Games.

Stacey said the ability to travel Outside and crack these squads is a testament to the soccer programs run by the Yukon Soccer Association.

"Every year we have kids who are able to make it, which says a good thing about Yukon soccer.”