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DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE - For the second weekend in a row soccer players from Fort Providence battled against the best the NWT has to offer.

The Deh Gah Eagles competed in the U-15 boys' division at Senior Super Soccer tournament in Yellowknife from May 1 to 3.

"They did really well, especially for a small community," said Craig Ronney, the team's coach.

The team finished with a 1-2 record in the round robin before being defeated in the playoffs. The Eagles were at a disadvantage compared to the teams from larger centers, Rooney said.

Fort Providence is a small community so students are restricted to playing recreational soccer while teams from centers like Yellowknife are used to playing more competitive games, he said.

The school fielded eight players compared to the 12 that the majority of other teams had.

The effect of the shortage of players became evident as games wore on.

The Eagles competed well in the first part of their games and put up a strong defense but they tended to get tired later in the game, said Rooney.

"They worked incredibly hard," he said.

The Eagles lost their first two games to Yellowknife teams St. Pat's White 10-2 and Sir John Gold 10-1. Faced against Gjoa Haven in their third game the Eagles won 11-2.

"We had a bit of a comeback," said Rooney.

The Eagles finished third in their pool and faced an Inuvik team on Saturday, when they lost 8-1 in the playoffs. Dwight McLeod was named most valuable player for the game.

Overall, the Eagles did really well considering their disadvantages, Ronney said. The Eagles were also the only team in the division with a female player.

Megan Antoine, 15, really wanted to compete at the tournament. So when the school was unable to field a female team, she joined the boys.

"Megan played really well," said coach Rooney.

Being in a boys' division was a different experience, said Antoine.

"It was a bit more challenging than playing with girls but I had a lot of fun," she said, adding that the boys have more skills so they offer tougher competition.

Sir John Gold was the most challenging team the Eagles faced, said Antoine.

"They were a bit taller than us and a bit faster," she said.

But all in all, the Eagles did have fun at the tournament and worked well together as a team, said Antoine.