Alaska soccer team perseveres in Las Vegas heat

They sat in a row diagonal to the soccer sideline Tuesday morning and adjusted positions as needed on the freshly manicured grass.

One behind the other. Precise alignment was critical.

Four astute parents of players on a soccer team from Fairbanks, Alaska, remained in the sliver of shade provided by a 30-foot light pole that was their sundial.

Any respite from the Las Vegas morning sun was vital, as was SPF 60 sunscreen, bottles of water and ball caps bought more for protection than as remembrances of their trips to the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships.

The temperature in Fairbanks was 68 degrees Tuesday afternoon.

By noon, it reached 100 on the soccer fields in northwest Las Vegas.

The forecast won't be any cooler for today's final qualifying games at Kellogg Zaher Soccer Complex and Bettye Wilson Sports Complex.

Teams get Thursday off before all games move to the Wilson fields for eliminations, which begin Friday and culminate with championship games Sunday.

"They were burning up," said Alaskan Steve Carr, whose daughter, Kelly Carr, plays for Fairbanks Eclipse.

"But they're having fun. That's the main thing about coming here."

One parent, Randy Ashton, whose son Dana plays for Idaho BCSC, used a pressurized sprayer loaded with cold water instead of weed killer to mist players on the under-15 team from Boise during their 5-0 victory over the Missoula (Mont.) Strikers. Other parents followed his lead.

Teams, fans and families from Arizona and Southern Nevada needed to make few adjustments for the heat. Tournament chairman Guy Hobbs and his staff of about 350 volunteers vigilantly planned to minimize the affects of heat on players from cooler regions.

Water breaks of between one and two minutes were added to each half of play, said Hobbs, president of the Nevada Youth Soccer Association.

No games are scheduled for play late in the afternoon.

He ordered twice the amount of water used at last year's regional in Boise, Idaho.

"We used half of that on Monday alone," he said, adding players, coaches and officials went through 1,250 gallons of water and 6,000 pounds of ice on opening day.

A few players among the 15-team Alaska contingent experienced minor heat-related maladies Tuesday and were treated by on-site medical personnel.

The Alaskan goalkeeper must have felt as if she was sitting in a dunk tank Tuesday morning the way she was peppered with shots by Arizona Sereno White.

Or at least she wished she was. The cool respite would have been welcomed.

Arizona won, 13-0.

The more experienced players from the under-19 girls Arizona state champion used her for target practice as the team loaded with national-level players dominated.

Most of the 256 teams in age groups from under-14 to under-19 categories can't play throughout the year like those in Arizona, California and Nevada.

Eclipse, which traveled about 3,300 miles to Las Vegas, exemplifies the tournament's spirit of competition.

The Fairbanks players were disappointed with the loss but played each minute like it could win despite falling behind 1-0 within the first minute and 4-0 midway through the opening half.

"They're awesome. That's an awesome team," Fairbanks co-captain Laegan Bole said of Arizona. "We got beat to the ground, but that's part of the experience."

Alaska coach Larry Foster, a former college coach and native of the state, knew chances were remote to win at the regional level. It became a bigger challenge when five players, four of them starters, couldn't make the trip to Las Vegas. The team started Tuesday with two subs, and one twisted an ankle and couldn't finish the game.

Foster's team lost 9-0 to Colorado on Monday and will play the top Northern California team at 7 a.m. today.

"In the best Alaska tradition we got out our duct tape and baling wire and put it together the best we could," Foster said.

"Our goals are to play our best and get better each game."

While most American high school soccer is played in the fall, the Alaska season starts in late April because of weather conditions.

"Our season is really just beginning, and (Arizona's) is almost over," Bole said.

"It's hard to keep your head up, but I'm proud to just be here."