In another recent victory for Yukon Soccer, the women's A division team won the Alaska State Cup.

'It was a really good experience for us,' said team captain Laura Whitty. 'It was physical competition, they're usually bigger than us, so it was quite physical but we have been playing in the men's league all summer so we didn't find that to be a problem. We dominated most games.'

They won their first game over Busty Ruffallo with a score of 2-0. The Fairbanks team went down scoreless while Judy Tuton and Laura Whitty delivered the goals that moved Yukon ahead.

In game two against Avanti, an Anchorage team, Yukon again trumped their opponents with a 2-0 score. Whitty delivered a goal in that game too, along with Dayna Thompson.

Game three finished in a tie with Valley Women, also an Anchorage team. Jenni Matchett hit the goal that kept Yukon from a loss.

In the final the Selects faced Busty Ruffallo once again. Matchett scored one of the two goals that brought the Selects the cup with a 2-1 score. Susan Whitty scored the other.

Assistant coach Peter Mather, who helped form the team last January said the team's first year has gone 'very, very well.'

'The idea behind the team is to provide a good team for the young kids coming up through minor soccer,' he said.

The Selects gives talented players an opportunity to play competitive soccer and keep their skills honed and developing for university competition, he explained.

'There were four quality (female) players who left the territory this winter to play competitive soccer down south.'

'Their all kinda 16, 17-year-olds.'

The team has had a tough go in playing in the men's league in Whitehorse, but it all paid off against other women in Alaska.

'We don't win many games (against the men),' said Mather. 'We're able to compete with the men because we keep possession of the ball but the men can outrun us to get their goals and that seems to happen a lot,' said Mather.

'It's been a tough summer because it's very tough playing against the men but I think that preparation against the men showed when we went to play against the women in Alaska, because we were the dominant team in the tournament.'

The men's Selects also did well, placing second overall.

After a loss to Anchorage's International 0-1, the Selects came back to win the next two games against Alaska Rusk, 3-0, and Full Force, 4-0. Full Force, said Mather in an email, is Alaska's top ranked team.

But in the final against Full Force, the Alaskan team came out and fought harder, said team captain Ash Jordan.

'We didn't back down They got a few fluky goals but they worked hard for them and took the cup.'

Goal scorers included Paul Fraughton (2), Ammon Hoefs (3) and Kyle Finner (3).

But for Jordan, the best part of the tournament wasn't grabbing the silver, it was being a part of the women Selects triumphant debut at the championships.

'It was nice to be a part of that,' he said.

Like the women's team, the men's Selects is also a launch pad for Yukon's best soccer players. Jordan says many players on the team play in southern universities including four currently playing for Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton.

'We have lots of talent up here.'