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The U-14 Yukon Strikers kick off competition on the country's biggest stage today in Lethbridge, Alta.

The territory will be represented at the 2013 National Club Championships by both a boys and girls team.

This morning, the girls opened play with a 13-0 loss to second-ranked Nova Scotia.

The club will square off with Saskatchewan tomorrow.

"We'd like to play a little better and we would like to score goals,鈥� coach Tony Gaw told the Star this afternoon. "But we haven't played a game since the middle of August except against the boys teams, so it's a little bit difficult to jump straight into a game. We just need to get our feet under us a little bit better.鈥�

Gaw said his team is a very young group and the goal is simply to gain experience.

"We don't want to use that as an excuse,鈥� he said. "This is their first kick at this kind of a tournament and they were in awe. Playing at the university was a little scary for them, but other than that, we hope to do better against Saskatchewan.

"We know what we're up against, and for us, success is just coming here and gaining the experience,鈥� Gaw added.

"We understand we got our butts whooped, but the girls' only question is 鈥楬ow can we do better?' That's what we want to work on, is just progressing each game.鈥�

The boys team will face Alberta in their opener this afternoon.

"It will probably be similar to last year,鈥� said John MacPhail, head coach of the Strikers club. "We have Alberta first, and they came in second last year, so we'll face a powerhouse right off the get-go. That's one of the games you just try and survive.鈥�

Last year, the Yukon was thumped 14-0 by Alberta in their opener.

MacPhail joins coach Edwin Vanderkley on the sidelines for the U-14 Cup to try and coax the best soccer from the Yukon's young players.

MacPhail said his pre-game speech will concern the team's compete level when the score gets lopsided.

"There's no quit, no matter what's happening out there,鈥� he said. "We'll do our best with what we've got.鈥�

The boys squad will face Prince Edward Island tomorrow.

"Our expectations are a little higher against P.E.I.,鈥� MacPhail noted. "Depending on who they send, we think we can compete. Maybe not so much beat them, but compete against them and have a little better game than what we're expecting against Alberta.鈥�

MacPhail said he expects the country's largest provinces to rise to the top again this year.

"This is my fourth go-round and it seems to be the same scenario most times,鈥� he admitted.

The U-14 tournament is the youngest level of national club tournaments and is the only championship in which the Yukon is competing.

"It's an introduction to the kids to see what this level is like, if they ever want to do something with soccer,鈥� said MacPhail. "They kind of get a taste of it.鈥�

He said that the territory begins to struggle to fill a roster when it comes to the older age groups.

"The problem with U-16s, is the teams you compete against are starting to get very good and very big and physical, so it's a tougher tournament,鈥� MacPhail explained.

"Some of these teams like Alberta and Ontario are basically sending young men.

"The U-14s are still young enough, and this gives them a taste of what real soccer is outside the territory. Then the kids can set their goals based on that. It's all experience.鈥�

The boys' roster is made up a variety of returning players and rookies, and the Strikers will rely on the older players for leadership.

While the boys' team hasn't set a goal for the championship, MacPhail said he's looking for grit and tenacity from the young club.

"The goal is just to compete and not let up, and hopefully get a good result out of one of the games,鈥� he said. "We haven't beaten too many provinces in our history.鈥�

Both Strikers teams are guaranteed five games at the tournament.

The boys roster is as follows: Carl Knickle, Ethan Vanderkley, Curtis Goodman, Robert Smallwood, William Connellan, Simon Kischuk, Justin Wishart-MacDougall, Maxwell Zaparinuk, Skyler Bryant, Matthias Hoenisch, Cody Amaral, Elisha Leenders, Morgan Ramsay, Tyler Milton, and Zachary Unrau.

The girls team consists of: Jewel Davies, Jayden Demchuk, Alice Frost-Handberg, Georgia Gaw, Lara Herry-SaintOnge, Tyra Jones, Hanna Korn, Kathleen Lanigan, Emma MacDonald, Maria J.I. (Isabel) Magsucang, Samantha Ng, Bryn Peterson, Alizee Salesse, and Katharina Wirth.