COEUR d'ALENE - These gals don't waste any time.

In the opening minute of Saturday afternoon's match against the Flathead Force, the Coeur d'Alene Sting under-13 girls soccer team scored a goal.

A few minutes later, slicing through defenders with ease, the Sting potted another goal. And then came a third tally. Shortly thereafter, a fourth.

The contest was all but over, just like that. It was only their second match of the 2011 Bill Eisenwinter Hot Shot Tournament, and the girls were rolling.

"We won our first game 8-0," said Kelsi Grinde, a 13-year-old defender from Coeur d'Alene. "I think we really didn't play that good of a game, but we still won by a lot."

Victory has become a habit for the U13 squad. This season, they went 10-1-2 in the highly competitive Puget Sound Premiere League, finishing in first place.

The great performance earned the Sting a slot in the Northwest Champions League, which starts this August. The girls will play the best teams from Washington, Oregon and Idaho over three tournament-style weekends.

"It's an invite-only league," explained Sting head coach Jason Roop. "Once you win certain leagues, you get an invitation to play."

First things first, though. Roop and his charges plan to win the Hot Shot tournament, and then win the Idaho State Cup title in Twin Falls over Memorial Day weekend.

Two squads from the Boise area - the Nationals and Nova - will likely be their toughest competition at state.

"I definitely think we'll win," Roop said. "I'm fairly confident in these girls. They're strong."

Most of the Sting players started young. They honed their skills in countless practices, learning to dribble, pass and shoot from top-level coaches. Over the long season, on all those tournament trips to Spokane or Seattle, they became close friends.

"We're really positive. Really work good as a team," said 13-year-old midfielder Julia McCaw, who lives in Coeur d'Alene. "And we're like, really, really good. Winning's pretty fun."

The Sting ladies are looking forward to the state tournament. The teams will be talented, and the apparel will be stylish. Like their coach's, the girls' confidence is running high.

"I'm looking forward to just playing (at state)," said forward Cydney Roop, 13, of Coeur d'Alene. "Hopefully getting a state sweatshirt that says 'Champions.'"

It won't be in Twin Falls, but Spokane Soccer Club's Elite Bellefeuille squad is the Sting's fiercest rival. The two teams are evenly matched, and they usually play a close game - last weekend at Canfield Sports Complex, for example, the Sting and Bellefeuille played to a tie.

"They're really big and physical, and they know how to move the ball around really nicely," Cydney said.

The Sting isn't bad at moving the ball, either. The U13 girls can pass and score with anyone, even older kids. They're actually playing in the U14 division at the Hot Shot, even though the team's youngest player - speedy Halle Eborall of Coeur d'Alene - is only 11 years old.

"They're a good group," Roop said. "They had a lot of games (this season). They all love it so much, and the parents are so supportive."