Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
FUTURE STARS 鈥� Andreas Lavanderos, left, is chased down by Jason Sealy during a friendly between the Junior Selects and the U-12 Yukon Strikers last night. Below: TALKING STRATEGY 鈥� Selects coach Derric Lewis gives his troops some last-minute instruction prior to last night's game at Porter Creek Secondary School.
After a summer spent training hard on the soccer pitch, the Yukon Junior Selects squared off with the Yukon Strikers Under-12 team in a friendly last night at Porter Creek Secondary School.
After a summer spent training hard on the soccer pitch, the Yukon Junior Selects squared off with the Yukon Strikers Under-12 team in a friendly last night at Porter Creek Secondary School.
The team, which last competed 鈥� and won gold 鈥� at the Alaska Airlines Cup in early June, did not compete in any further tournament play this summer.
But the club has continued to train, lately five times a week, for an upcoming tournament in Burnaby, B.C. next month.
The team will participate in the Under-12 gold division in the Westburn Mini Gobbler Soccer Fest Oct. 12 to 13.
Last night, the team played its second of two friendlies against the Strikers in Porter Creek.
Coach Jake Hanson told the Star the Junior Selects program builds on the achievements of the Senior Selects program.
"Largely it was driven by the fact that we had a group of boys that started training together when they were age five and six,鈥� he explained. "There wasn't really a travel opportunity for them until about U-12 with the regular club program.
"So we just kind of started up a team a little bit earlier to get these guys some good competition Outside.鈥�
The team's first competition came in December 2011.
The team has worked hard all summer training weekly at the Total Soccer Excellence Academy at Porter Creek Secondary, run by Selects' coaches Hanson, Derric Lewis and Victor Lavanderos to complement the Strikers program.
While the team did not play together in any tournaments, Bennett Kischuk, Jason Sealy, Rhys Faragher and Joe Hanson were invited to play with the Alaska Under-11 powerhouse boys team MSC United at the Crossfire Premier Cup in Washington.
Joe Hanson also joined the team at the San Diego Surf Cup in August.
In the Selects' first competition of the year in April, they placed third in their category at the Whitecaps FC Cup in Vancouver.
Aside from the upcoming tournament in Burnaby, the club will attempt to play in one more Vancouver-area event before the end of the year.
The team is also in communication with Alaska and Edmonton-based clubs regarding the possibility of hosting home series in Whitehorse this coming indoor season.
The Junior Selects roster consists of the following players: Bennett Kishchuk, Andreas Lavanderos, Jason Sealy, Callum Weir, Ole Heath, Joseph Hanson, Kaelen Lewis, Andrew Roberts, Ashton Bryant, Chad Williams, Rhys Faragher and Lowell DeCook.
In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.
Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.
Be the first to comment