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Dawson City won the U13 Boys division at the Yukon Outdoor Soccer Championships. The tournament was held June 24-26 at F.H. Collins, Vanier, and Christ the King Elementary. It featured U7, U9, U11 and U13 age groups.

The U13 Boys bronze medal game featured the Whitehorse United FC Teams 3 versus 4.

The score was close at halftime, with Team 4 leading 2-1.

They pulled away in the second half and held a 5-1 lead before Team 3鈥檚 Tom Vollmer made it 5-2. However, Shamus Inglis replied for Team 4.

The final score ended up 7-2 for Team 4.

Sarah Pumphrey coached the winning team.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun. They played really well. Both teams played great,鈥� she said.

As for the keys to victory for Team 4, 鈥渢hey played their positions really well. They passed the ball. They played as a team,鈥� related Pumphrey.

Pumphrey said Team 3 played amazing.

鈥淏oth teams played super-strong. They both showed up all weekend, played their hearts out, hot weather, hot down here on the turf and they just smashed it out.

鈥淎nd Yukon style, they were super-super gracious with each other the whole way through, helping each other up when they were falling down and so it鈥檚 just good to see. Good sportsmanship all around.

She added 鈥淭hey play to have fun. They leave it on the field.鈥�

Matt Ball coached Team 3.

鈥淚t was fine. It鈥檚 always good and the kids tried really hard and it was really hot out here today.鈥�

Ball said he was happy with the overall play.

鈥淭hese are developing kids so they鈥檙e playing in different positions and getting into different areas in the field and understanding the whole field of play. They played great.鈥�

The U13 Boys gold medal game featured the Dawson City FC team against Whitehorse United FC Team 2.

Dawson raced out to a 3-0 halftime lead.

They eventually built their lead to 5-0 before Whitehorse United FC finally got on the board.

The game was dominated by Dawson鈥檚 Maze Andrei Clemente, who scored at least five goals.

Dawson built up their lead to 7-1, with Clemente finally being subbed off. It quickly became apparent why Dawson left Clemente out on the pitch that long, as Whitehorse United mounted a furious comeback, spearheaded by Cullen Sias.

He scored two to make it 7-3, but Dawson answered back with one of their own.

Whitehorse United came back with two more of their own, including another goal by Sias. However, the comeback came up short, with Dawson City FC prevailing 8-5.

Clemente was asked the secret to his success.

鈥淗onestly it鈥檚 just riling up the teammates and motivating yourself too and just hours and hours of practice outside.鈥�

Clemente has been playing for quite a while.

鈥淚 have been, yep, ever since I was about six.鈥�

Clemente just turned 14.

He said it feels really good to represent Dawson City.

Clemente added that he wasn鈥檛 expecting to do this well.

鈥淗onestly, I had no idea. I didn鈥檛 want to get my hopes up; didn鈥檛 want to be too cocky or too confident.鈥�

Whitehorse United FC coach Jim Sias commented on the furious comeback that fell just a little short.

It was a good comeback. I鈥檓 proud of them. It was a good game. We got down for a bit, more than we wanted to but the boys showed some resiliency, came back and made a game of it.鈥�

Sias didn鈥檛 like the odds of his team coming back from such a big deficit.

鈥淚 knew we were out of time. When it went to 7-2, I didn鈥檛 think we had enough time to come back but they popped three close ones in there real quick so it gave me hope. I thought we were gonna pull it out but just a little too much of a lead.鈥�

鈥淒awson鈥檚 always a powerful team. They always come down here with a good team. They鈥檙e well coached 鈥� we knew it was going to be tough 鈥� we spotted them a little too much of a lead,鈥� he added.

Sias agreed that Maze Clemente was the difference.

鈥淣umber 16, Maze, he鈥檚 a beast. I really feel like we outplayed them, as far as a team, I think we had more chances and ... we couldn鈥檛 handle him. We tried two, three people on him and he鈥檚 still getting through 鈥� he鈥檚 awesome. He鈥檚 a great player. Hats off to him. Hats off to the team.鈥�

鈥淗e was their strongest player by far and when he finally subbed off there, we had our chances to come back a bit.鈥�

Sias added 鈥淚鈥檓 just really proud of the boys. I think they did great ... I think they played well as a team. They were moving the ball, working as a team, I鈥檓 proud of them. It was a great tournament.鈥�

Needless to say, Dawson City FC coach Wayne Potoroka was pleased with his team鈥檚 effort.

鈥淚 think it went really well. This is a group of young people who enjoy playing with each other. They love the game of soccer and they love hanging out with this group of kids so it shows up on the field.

鈥淪occer鈥檚 huge in Dawson. This is all we do all winter and in fact, we鈥檒l play indoor until thy kick us out of the school gym and make us play outdoor. And then we鈥檒l play outdoor until it鈥檚 too cold to play outside and then we鈥檒l go indoors.

鈥淚 thought if they actually played the way I know that they鈥檙e capable of playing and they had fun, which is so important in playing well, then I thought there鈥檚 no reason why they couldn鈥檛 do well at this tournament.

鈥淎nd it鈥檚 something that they really look forward to as well,鈥� he added.

Regarding Clemente, Potoroka said 鈥淗e鈥檚 here with his sister and his brother and this will probably be the only time that they will ever play in a tournament together so this was pretty special for them ... it鈥檚 also really special for us because Maze is an incredible human being. He鈥檚 not only just a good soccer player, he鈥檚 good at science, he鈥檚 good at math, he鈥檚 good at academics, he鈥檚 good at art and he鈥檚 respectful and polite and he鈥檚 got all of those tools that you really want to see, not only in an athlete, but in a young person.鈥�

Clemente is considering going to F.H. Collins next year.

鈥淚 hope that he comes and plays with us when we have the opportunity to, because we always like to invite Dawson players back but he鈥檚 a talented individual in so many different ways and it does show out there how good he actually is,鈥� related Potoroka.

He added 鈥淚 asked every one of these players to do something this weekend that maybe put themselves a little outside their comfort zones but certainly I asked them to play a role ... and they didn鈥檛 let me down.

鈥淚 know it鈥檚 always easy to focus on that one kid who鈥檚 doing really well and filling the back of the net with the balls but it鈥檚 like every single one of these kids did something that was asked of them and that鈥檚 how you win a tournament.鈥�

All the tourney results can be found at