Alaska players warm to South

RALEIGH -- Participants from the far edge of the continent, the Velocity '92 girls soccer team from Cook Inlet, Alaska, took plenty of satisfaction with them Sunday as they departed the WRAL Soccer Complex for a long journey home.

Their three days of soccer in the Capital Area Soccer League's National Soccer Series Girls Showcase featured a win, a loss and a tie. Considering it takes about 20 hours to fly to the Triangle and back to a state not known as a soccer hotbed, the results pleased the team.

"It's obviously good for Alaska to come out and win a game," Cook Inlet forward Kelly Cobb said of the team's first-round win against Florida's IMG Soccer Academy on Friday. "It was a long flight down here. But the girls came out really hard and were motivated to win. We rose to the occasion."

Cook Inlet lost a Saturday match to Virginia Rush Nike, 3-1. But Velocity played solid defensively in a 1-1 tie with the Chicago Fire Juniors Red in a Sunday morning match that started at 4 a.m. Alaska time.

That performance in an elite youth soccer event that drew more than 450 college coaches to watch 380 girls U15, U16, U17 and U19 teams was satisfying.

"There's definitely a lot more competition than we see in Alaska," midfielder Tricia Stonebraker said. "It's nice to travel outside and play new teams because we see the same teams over and over."

A long trip to the Lower 48 is nothing new for Cook Inlet, which is located in Anchorage. The squad makes a few trips to large tournaments such as this past weekend's Raleigh event.

The girls' longest trip south came this past January, when they placed third at the Disney Soccer Showcase in Orlando, Fla. They also participated in the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals in California in June and the Pleasanton (Calif.) RAGE College Showcase in July.

Though the level of competition at the CASL event didn't rise to the same level as the Disney tournament, Cook Inlet coach Michael Oliver said it's just right for his players.

"This is really good for players in Alaska because of our ability," Oliver said. "There are a few players who can go to that top level. But this is perfect for a lot of our players."

Trips such as the one to the Triangle cost around $1,500 per player, with each player's family responsible for the funds.

To get to North Carolina, the players departed Anchorage on Wednesday and Thursday. Oliver's group left at 8 a.m. Alaska time and arrived at RDU 101/2 hours later.

Others left after school on Wednesday or Thursday morning. Cobb said the girls keep up with their studies on the flights, and tournament director Stewart Pierce said he gave Cook Inlet the early slot Sunday so the players could be home in time to attend school Monday.

"We have some really studious kids," Oliver said. "The parents are really concerned about missing school. So we try to miss as little as possible."

Soccer is a growing sport in Alaska, particularly in Anchorage since the Alaska Dome training center opened. The Anchorage facility, built this decade, is three football fields long and 85 feet high, allowing for year-round soccer, football, baseball, softball, lacrosse and rugby play.

"I think we're improving as we go," Cobb said. "We have good coaches like Mike [Oliver] and his brother John, who take time out of their days to work with us."

Still, the Velocity players enjoyed playing outdoors Sunday in the 40-degree fall weather that, though cool to Southerners, was nearly 30 degrees warmer than the high in Anchorage.

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