Yukon men's soccer team wins against provincial team for 1st time
The Yukon men's soccer team beat Nova Scotia 3-0 in a match at the Canada Summer Games on Monday. It was the first time the team had won against a provincial opponent.
Ashton Bryant, the team's captain for the game against Nova Scotia, said they didn't know much about the team going into the game.
"Everyone had a little bit of nerves," he said. "But I think everyone was really excited."
Bryant said his team "definitely had the highest majority of possession" during the first half of the game, and part of the second half.
"I think everyone was happy with the performance of the [Yukon] team."
According to mission staff, the Yukon has never beaten a province in soccer at the Canada Games or Western Canada Games. In 2005, they tied Nova Scotia, and that was the closest to a win.
"I think the boys are really excited … [it's] really exciting to be making history. And hopefully we keep this runner alive."
Bryant started playing soccer at age five with Whitehorse Minor Soccer. He's part of the cohort of 2003 boys that make up a big part of this team, many of whom started doing extra training at 7 years old and went to their first competition in 2012 in Vancouver.
"We've had a long journey together. And we definitely have that bond that some other teams might not have. Our team is more like a brotherhood rather than just a team," said Bryant, who is set to play at Vancouver Island University later this year in Nanaimo.
The Yukon team played against Alberta on Tuesday but lost that match.
Felix Masson, another player on the men's Yukon team, said though they were defeated, the game still went as well as it could.
"We didn't get the result that we wanted," he said. "We fought hard and it was a good game."
Reflecting on their win against Nova Scotia, Masson said he's proud of his team.
"We played super well together ... we just really came together worked hard for each other and got the result that we wanted."
The team is set to play against B.C. on Thursday.
The Canada Games are in full swing with about 5,000 athletes from across Canada in Ontario's Niagara region for three weeks of competition. More than 100 hours of free live coverage of the Canada Summer Games is available across CBC Sports platforms including on CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, and on the CBC Sports app.
