Whitehorse Daily Star

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PITCH-SIDE – The Whitehorse FC U11 soccer team were treated to pitch-side seats while the Vancouver White Caps warmed up last week for their season opener against Philadelphia in B.C. Place. Photo by COLLYN LOVELACE

Yukon squad fares well at Lower Mainland soccer tournament

The Whitehorse FC U11 boys’ soccer team

By Freelancer on March 15, 2017

The Whitehorse FC U11 boys’ soccer team clawed their way to a perfect 3-0 record at the recent 8-a-side South Burnaby Soccer Tournament, producing 6-2, 7-0 and 2-0 victories over three Lower Mainland teams.

The lads did an outstanding job playing as a team, showing good sportsmanship and representing the Yukon in less than the best conditions. It rained, it snowed, it was unseasonably cold (two games were cancelled due to snow), but our boys took it all in stride.

It was a total team effort at the tournament, starting with solid goalkeeping from Milo Schlosser who earned two shut outs.

The defensive corps of Xander Richards, Jackson Berry, Daniel Pike and Mitchell Rudolph were rock solid.

In the final match against Southsiders FC they were tested to the limits but preserved the clean sheet.

The team’s 3-3-1 system involved lots of rotation between the lone striker and midfield three. The centre of the pitch was marshalled by Leo Whittaker (who scored two free kick goals) and Sam Sikkes.

We had excellent wing play out of Shaun Fleming-Bill, Seth Harries, Forrest Peschke and Lain Kearns.

Beau Yurchak-Lovelace was a constant threat to score goals as our main striker.

Whittaker and Yurchak-Lovelace each netted five goals in the tournament. Peschke scored three – a goal in every game, including two game winning goals. Sikkes and Kearns bagged one goal a piece. Kearns’ picture perfect blast into the top corner was, no questions asked, the most dramatic goal of our tournament.

These lads put in months of extra practice to prepare for this tournament and are real Yukon champions. When the tournament organizers cancelled Sunday’s games due to snow, most of the team went and played snow soccer in a nearby park against a legends team featuring coaches Geof Harries and Drew Whittaker and fathers.

Big shout out to team driver Victor Rudolph who got us safely to the tournament pitches and cranked the tunes to pump up the team.

Thanks to all of the parents who organized fundraising for the trip, especially Elizabeth Richards for organizing the Rendezvous weekend Fun Fair at Whitehorse Elementary and Collyn Lovelace for organizing our coffee sales fundraiser.

We would also like to thank Air North and Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters for supporting the team.

It was a total soccer weekend for the team. They practiced, they played, and they took in two very exciting Vancouver Whitecaps games. For the MLS season opener against Philadelphia, the boys got to sit pitch-side on the ’Caps bench and watch the team warm up.

The article was prepared and submitted by coach Drew Whittaker.

Comments (1)

Up 11 Down 0

Proud parent on Mar 16, 2017 at 5:48 am

Way to go Whitehorse FC U11 boys soccer team!

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