The Prince George Selects will be heading to south this weekend to defend their title at the Kamloops Invitational tournament.
Last year the team toppled TRU to claim the competitive division trophy. Coach Mato Mikic said the core of last year's championship team is returning for another trophy bid this year.
"It's mostly the team that went last year, plus a couple of younger players," Mikic said.
The team's roster is deep with veteran players like Holly Miller, Andrea Bertulli, Corey Rossi and Sidney Wilson providing leadership on the field, he said.
"Between those six or seven players it is easy to build around that," Mikic said. "We've been trying to get as many players as possible to play in the women's league.But it's not our league team completely."
The team is rounded out with current UNBC players, UNBC prospects as well as U18 and U16 players.
Mikic said the Selects play an aggressive game.
"I believe that offense is about defense. We pressure the team in their end, and then we try to capitalize on their mistakes," he said.
By keeping the ball ahead of the midfield they minimize their opponent's scorring chances, he said.
Last year the team that pushed the Selects the hardest was based on Thompon River Univeristy's women's team. The Selects had two match ups with TRU, resulting in a zero-zero tie in the round robin and a one-nothing victory in the finals.
"This year they wont' have that team there," he said.
However, Mikic said he's anticipating some serious competition this year from Kamloops U21 team.
It's the third season for the Selects, who are looking to find sponsors to travel to a larger number of tournaments during the year.
