LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Three Fort Simpson athletes helped the NWT intermediate girls soccer team start off the 2010 Arctic Winter Games on the right foot.

Amanda Bradbury, 19, Nicole Cholette-Antoine, 20, and Jacqueline Thompson, 19, each saw field time during the team's 7-4 thumping of Nunavut on Monday.

Amanda Bradbury, left, Jacqueline Thompson, and Nicole Cholette-Antoine, all from Fort Simpson, play together on the NWT's intermediate female soccer team. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo

The Fort Simpson trio are the only Deh Cho athletes representing the region in soccer. Although each said she is striving for gold, it's the chance to play together that is the real victory. When asked what it was like to share the field together, Thompson triumphantly exclaimed "finally."

"We've tried together as a team since we were 12; seven years and we finally get a chance to play together at the Arctic Winter Games," she said.

For Bradbury, being on the court with her friends from Fort Simpson is a bit of a homecoming. For the past two years she has been living in Yellowknife while attending Aurora College. Midway through the second year of her nursing degree, it's hard to imagine juggling her course load and soccer practices.

Except, she said, there wasn't much juggling happening.

"I didn't have time to practice," said Bradbury.

Although the lack of practice time means she has to work a little harder, she is enjoying the opportunity and the break.

"It feels good to have something to focus on other than school."

On Monday they faced Team Saami and lost 4-0. They play again Thursday against Team Alaska.

Cholette-Antoine said she was happy with the way the team opened the tournament against Nunavut but added she and her teammates will have to focus on improving their communication in upcoming matches.

At 20 and 19-years-old this is the last chance for the girls to compete in an event other than Dene games or Arctic sports and the hope is to go home with a medal. Obviously a gold ulu is the ultimate goal, but silver might not be the next best thing.

"Going for gold, but I will be satisfied with bronze. You have to lose to get silver, you have to win to get bronze," said Cholette-Antoine.

Soccer was the only event to begin competition on Monday in Grande Prairie. A win to open the round-robin was exactly what coach Rebecca Alty was looking for to motivate her team through what is expected to be a week of stiff competition.

"It'll be tough. We're definitely going to have to play really hard against Alaska, and Saami is ... really good; they're some very competitive athletes, some of the top players from Norway," said Alty.