This past December a number of YUFC players went to the tryouts for the Provincial Training Program.

Congratulations to Kendra Varjassy, Spencer Steele, Derek Campbell, and Nathan Cochrane for making the squad!

On the January 13th to 15th weekend the Yorkton United Bulldogs Under 12 boys soccer team travelled to the Annual Regina Soccer Association tournament in Regina. On Friday night, the Bulldogs faced Aurora Athletics from Saskatoon in the first game of the round robin. Both teams came out defensively and there was no score by halftime. In the second half, Aurora started the scoring but this just woke up the Bulldogs offence. Yorkton scored 4 goals in the second half and ended up winning the game 4 – 2. Goal scorers were Jordin Rusnak with two and Matthew Cochrane and Jacob Pindus with singles. On Saturday the Bulldogs faced the top team in Regina, the REU Chelsea and the hard fought game ended in a 0 – 0 tie. Coach Andy Wyatt felt that the Bulldogs carried the play but couldn’t score. “I thought our boys played a pretty good game and we put a lot of pressure on REU but we just couldn’t find the back of the net. They had a very strong goalie and tough defenders”. The third and final game of the round robin was against another Regina team, ACFC Red. Offence was not a problem in this game. Yorkton led 2 – 0 at half but by the end of the game, the score was 9 – 0 for Yorkton. Assistant Coach Dave Malinowski says, “Unlike the REU game, we finished our chances and really played well offensively. A lot of different kids got on the score sheet and gave us the confidence we needed going into the semis.”

Based on the round robin results, Yorkton finished first in their pool and played REU Predators on Sunday morning. The Bulldogs came on strong at the beginning and hit the crossbar in the first minute. Most of the play was in the REU end but once again, near misses were the story of the day. REU had a 1 – 0 lead after the first half due to a Yorkton miscue on defence. In the second half, the bounces started to go Yorkton’s way and after goals from Jacob Pindus and Jordin Rusnak Yorkton took the lead. More hit posts happened but Yorkton held on to win the semi-final 2 – 1. This led to a finals match up with a very strong team from Humboldt. In the final Humboldt started strong and dominated the play for the first half. It was only the strong play of goalie Nicholas Fetsch and some timely saves by the Yorkton goal posts that kept Humboldt off the score sheet. Though Humboldt outplayed Yorkton in the first half the second half was a different story with Yorkton having a slight edge which led to the first goal of the game being scored by Jordin Rusnak for Yorkton early...

The Yorkton U-12 Bulldogs won gold at the QC Breakaway Tournament in Regina over the weekend, capping the eventful weekend with a decisive 5-1 win over REU Rebels.
Thomas Djagowez scored three goals in the final game, capping a performance that saw him score eight times over the course of four games. Djagowez teamed up nicely on offense with Nick Fetsch and Dawson Malinowski as they proved to be too much for the Rebels to contain. Fetsch ended up with two scores and Malinowski had a hand in several goals with some key playing making moves. Jordin Rusnack and Matthew Mandziuk were towers on defense with Matthew Stackhouse picking up the win in goal, coming within three minutes of the shutout.
On Saturday night, the Bulldogs needed a shutout to move into the gold medal game and they got it, 4-nil over AC Pumas Gold. Djagowez had two, as did Rusnack. Carson Sveinbjornson turned away everything he faced in net.
Earlier in the day, Yorkton defeated QC United 5-3. Djagowez had two. Singles came from Fetsch, Mandziuk,and Rusnack.
On Friday, the UCT Titans posted a 3-2 upset. The Bulldogs showed great character mounting a late comeback from 3-0 down, but it was too little too late. Djagowez and Mandziuk provided the goals in the tournament opener.

The U10 Kinsmen Storm attended their first tournament of the season in Regina on November 4-6, 2011. The team’s tournament began Friday evening against Regina ACFC Black and the Storm’s name rang true (just like the weather). Josh Kidd scored a goal within the first 3 minutes and followed up with another in the first half. Then in the second half, Justin Adam added two more goals while Austen Stewart proved unbeatable in goal for the squad. In the end, the Storm blanked ACFC Black 4-0.

The team’s next game was early Saturday morning versus Regina Galaxy – the top team in the Regina league standings. It was an extremely close game with end to end action. At about the 7th minute mark of the first half, Zach Wasylsyshen scored a goal for the Storm. The great play continued without another goal as Austen Stewart once again stood strong in net making 2 spectacular saves to maintain the one goal lead. Then, at the 9 minute mark of the 2nd half Justin Adam took advantage of a breakaway putting the game out of reach at a margin of 2-0.
Later Saturday afternoon, the Storm took the field against Regina UCT Turbo. The Kinsmen Storm came out flat and quickly found themselves trailing Turbo by 3 goals. However, the group showed a lot of character by putting a much better effort forward in the 2nd half. Jairus Pellatt scored YUFC’s only goal of the game with the contest ending up as a 1-6 loss to the Turbo.

The only thing left to do was wait to see if the Storm had done enough to make it to the final with a hope for redemption against the UCT Turbo. Their wish came true. The final proved to be a very exciting and well played soccer game. The Kinsmen Storm found themselves trailing Turbo 1-0 in the middle of the first half but did not lose heart. Before the half ended Jairus Pellatt scored the equalizer with a long kick that fooled Turbo’s keeper. Throughout the rest of the first half and most of the 2nd, there was end to end action. Austen Stewart made a number of impressive saves and kept the team in it by stopping a penalty shot. With approximately 5 minutes remaining, Justin Adam scored on a breakaway making it a 2-1 final for the Kinsmen Storm resulting in redemption and gold medals for the squad.

As soccer is a team game and isn’t just about scoring goals it’s important to identify the 10 kids playing for the Storm: Justin Adam, Josh Kidd, Kaeden Koroluk, Cole Looft, Jairus Pellatt, Keane Szabo, Austen Stewart, Brett Switzer, Braydon Waslynuik, and Zach Wasylyshen.

The Yorkton United U14 Fury recently attended the Q.C. Break-Away tournament in Regina for their first tournament of their winter campaign.

The tournament started off great as they handed R.E. Luta a 4-0 loss. The team looked good and they really were clicking out there. A deserved win for sure. The next day they faced A.C. Pumas Red and walked away with a 5-1 victory. This game we didn't look as sharp but we still were able to score by majority which is a welcome asset. the third and final round robin game was held Saturday night at 9:00 pm. this was the first time we had ever played so late which can be a detriment as valuable energy can be used up during the day with players this age. Conditioning was not a factor but you could tell that the kids heads weren't in the game at all times as we got off to a slow start but we did manage to finish the game off with a bang and get 4-0 victory over U.C.T. Lightning. The U14 Fury finished the round robin play with a 3-0 record with 13 goals for and one against. One of the best records in the tournament

In the U14 Div.2 division there were 10 teams competing which meant a semi-final game had to be played Sunday morning. The Fury were to face the R.E. Luta whom they had beat the previous Friday night. The Fury came out strong and showed much improvement in there ball movement and passing which lacked the night before. However with some additional players and tight defense the R.E. team were able to lock down the fort and limit scoring chances forcing a 0-0 tie and a golden goal overtime. nothing was settled after the extra time and the game went to a shoot out with R.E. Luta grabbing the win and sending the Fury home with out a medal.

This past summer a number of our Yorkton United players had the opportunity to attend the Legion Athletic Camp held at the Peace Gardens on the Canada/U.S. border south of Brandon Manitoba. The camp was held between August 14-25 with young athletes between the ages 10-18 years old taking part in various sports of there choice.

Among those Y.U.F.C. players was Allison Berge. Allison joined Y.U.F.C. as a U10 player where she played predominantly on the boys teams until recently she has been able to play on the Y.U.F.C. U14/16 girls team as a U14 player due to the increase in girls soccer in Yorkton. Allison said she really enjoyed attending the 6 day camp. The day would start with a long walk (approx. 1 mile) from the dorms to the soccer pitch. They made this walk 6-8 times a day between practices. Each day there would be 3 practice sessions where players worked on conditioning, individual skills and game drills. In particular Allison said she definitely improved on conditioning and her passing skills. She was also awarded the Best Defender Award during her time at the camp and the nickname "The Wall" which is an accomplishment she hold dearly as she was one of the youngest attending the camp. She says she will definitely return.

When asked about the increase in the number of girls players in the city Allison is excited about new female players joining the Y.U.F.C. and encourages more to join.

The Yorkton United U14 Fury soccer team recently competed at the A.C.F.C. Summerfest Tournament in Regina during the Canada Day long weekend. This was the U14 Fury's first and only tournament of the summer as previous tournaments and games had been cancelled due to rainy weather and wet fields. The sun was a welcome site during the Summerfest tournament and because high temperatures were expected the U14 Fury called up 5 players from the U12 Chelsea to keep fresh legs on the field.

The first action for the Fury was versus Q.C. United on Friday night. The U14 Fury managed to put 5 goals into the Q.C. net while Yorkton's keeper Tyson Black kept a clean sheet for a shutout. Goal scorers were Zach Kostersky, Jaden Porte, Matthew McKee, Riley McGill and Derek Campbell. Yorkton's next game came early Saturday morning against the U.C.T. Lightning where again it was scoring by committee for the Fury as they walked away with a 6-1 victory. Goals scorers were Zach Kostersky, Austin Thomas, Matthew McKee, Michael Dobrowolski, and Jaden Porte with 2. Yorkton then faced R.E.U. Santos later Saturday evening and coming away with a 4-2 win. Goal scorers were Teddy Hudye, Derek Campbell and Jaden Porte again with 2. The Fury headed into Sunday mornings game versus the host A.C.F.C. Pumas with a 3 win record and looking for a fourth win and a trip to the finals. For some reason the Summerfest tournament committee decided to lump all eight U14 teams into one giant pool with the top 2 teams making it into the final. The U14 Fury were tied with another team going into Sundays contest but the Pumas where the spoiler as they handed Yorkton a 4-2 defeat. Matthew Mandziuk and Jaden Porte were the goal scorers for Yorkton. The game was close but we just didn't play our best soccer. We just weren't clicking out there and our smaller forwards had trouble with A.C.F.C.'s larger defense. The game was hard fought but in reality we most likely needed a 3-0 win to advance to the final as based on the tournament's point system a 3-0 win was maximum points and with every team in one huge pool it left little room for mistakes.

In all we had a very good tournament. We received goals from a lot of different players which a coach is always happy to see. In professional soccer you see only one or two players scoring consistently for their club so when you can get many people scoring you feel very confident. I was also happy that the U12 players we brought up fit well into the system and showed they are ready to play at an older age group...

In Div2 Boys Challenge Cup tournament the Bulldogs started out with a 3-2 win over the Weyburn L'I'll Black Devils on goals from Christian Smith, Matthew Mandziuk, and Nathan Cochrane. Early Saturday morning saw the Bulldogs continue to roll, posting a 2-0 victory over ACFC Pumas. Matthew Mandziuk and Zach McGriskin scored for the Bulldogs, while Nathan Cochrane posted a shutout. Due to scheduling, the Bulldogs final round robin game was early Sunday morning against QC United. In a good, hard game the end was decided on an own goal from an Austin Thomas corner kick in the last minute of play for the Bulldog victory. Even with a 3-0 record, the playoffs hung in the balance depending on a following game.
The result of that game, a Weyburn victory, eliminated UCT and sent the Bulldogs to the final against Weyburn.

In the Div 2 Girls Challenge Cup tournament the Shock faced three Regina teams in round robin play, their first attempt at competitive soccer. Friday night saw the Shock get off to a quick 1-0 start on a Taryn Kustra goal against the REU Ravens. Inexperience in competitive play began to show for the Shock, as the final result was 4-1 for the Ravens. Saturday morning match had the Shock facing the ACFC Tigres. While most of the game was played on the Shock's side of the field, a goal in the first half by Allison Berge stood for the 1-0 victory. Caitlin Berge managed to face many shots, including a direct free kick and the rebound. Improvements in team play were also evident as all players contributed to the shutout with fairly decent defensive play. Saturday Evening's game against QC United started with a QC goal, but effort from Madeline Gust and Taryn Kustra resulted in a goal from Allison Berge to tie the game.
In the second half, three goals sealed the game for QC United. This, combined with a Weyburn win, eliminated the shock from the Sunday Final. Head Coach Leah Murphy was pleased with the girls' ability to adapt to a game situation and the effort she received from all the players throughout the games. She is also looking to build on this weekend's accomplishments, considering only three or four players had any previous competitive experience.

The Yorkton United FC Under 10 soccer program travelled to Regina Canada Day long weekend to compete in ACFC Summerfest Soccer Tournament.

The first game seeing YUFC Kinsmen up against YUFC Storm, after a close game, YUFC Storm came out on top 2-0. " It was a extremely competitive game, both teams really wanted to win the game. The Storm was able to capitalize on their chance and in the end was the difference in the game." say Coach Mike Jakubiec.

The YUFC Storm's won their second game against Swift Current 1-0. After another tough game, the only difference was a well placed shot by Jordin Rusnak.

The YUFC Kinsmen also won their second game against Regina ACFC 5-3. The game's stand out player was Jaris Pellatt with 4 goals. "Jaris had an outstanding game, 4 goals in a game is impressive, even more impressive when you concerner he is one of the younger members of the team", said Coach Jakubiec.

The YUFC Storm's won their third game against Regina ACFC 4-0. "It was a strong team performance", says Coach Benno Looft. With the win YUFC Storm finish 1st in the pool.

The YUFC Kinsmen lost their third game against Swift Current 3-4. "We started the game slow conceding 3 goals in the first half. We woke up the second half and came back to 3-3 before conceding a late goal." said Coach Jakubiec. With the lose YUFC Kinsmen finished 3rd in the pool.

The YUFC Storm played Regina ACFC in the Semi-Finals where they won 2-0. "We controlled the game from the start, the team really played well again", said Coach Looft.

The YUFC Kinsmen played Swift Current in the other Semi-Final where they lost 2-3. "It was one of those games that could have gone either way. Unfortunately we came up on the losing end.", said Coach Mike Jakubiec.

The YUFC Storm played Swift Current in the final, coming up a little short 2-3. " Another hard fought game, we fought for every ball and in the end just came up a little short", said Coach Jakubiec.

"It was a great weekend for both teams, all the players showed how much they have grown as soccer players", said Coach Michael Jakubiec.