Fort Nugent Park was the place to be on Saturday as the North Whidbey Soccer League played its final games to put a cap on a successful 2008 spring season.

Teams of all ages were in action on the park’s many fields and the majority of the mid-morning excitement centered around the U-8 teams.

Going head-to-head on the abbreviated fields surrounded by cheering fans and adoring parents, the kids could just as easily have been playing in a game with the World Cup trophy on the line.

One of the parents cheering the players on to victory was Jennifer Hammer, who said she is a sub-coach for the Oak Harbor Blue Tigers.

“I coach the team when the real coach isn’t there,” Hammer said. “We have the best soccer league on the island here in Oak Harbor.”

The Blue Tigers were locked in a pitched battle with the Pink Panthers, coached by Morgan Dutton, and the Tigers ended the season on a winning note coming away with a 3-1 victory over the ladies in pink in a well-played game.

On another field coach Monica Halvick’s Black Knights, sponsored by P&L General Contracting, were having their soccer skills tested by the Maroon Dargons, sponsored by Lango Northwest, Inc.

“The team did a wonderful job today and I’m really proud of them,” Halvick said. “They’ve come a long way this season and had a good time.”

Michael Walters, coach of the Dragons, said his team won the U-8 league championship.

“We had four wins, three losses and a draw on our record this season,” he said.

In winning the league title, the Dragons’ players were presented with medals strung on colorful ribbons.

All of the players left the fields with big smiles on their faces, but it was unclear whether it was from the medals, the cookies the juice and the snacks everyone received after the game, or just from the joy of playing soccer on a warm, sunny day and having some fun with their friends.