The Vancouver Island Soccer League’s Division 1-leading Cowichan LMG faced a strategy they hadn’t seen previously this year when they hosted Nanaimo FC at the Ladysmith turf last Friday night.
Nanaimo tried a new approach by attacking LMG’s end of the field. It was successful in that Nanaimo carried the bulk of possession and territory, but it didn’t help them in the end as Cowichan rolled to a 3-0 victory.
“It’s the first time this year that anyone has come at us, pushing things,” Cowichan coach Glen Martin said. “Their tactics didn’t work. We got them on the counter-attack. They played right into our hands: we have a counter-attack team.”
Martin was impressed with Nanaimo’s spirited play, even if it didn’t work against his squad.
“Nanaimo came to play,” he said. “They looked eager and ready to go. It was an exciting game.”
Possession was about 65 per cent in Nanaimo’s favour, Martin guessed, but Nanaimo was only able to generate one scoring chance from all that, and it came on a penalty shot. Cowichan, meanwhile, turned their 35 per cent of possession into about 10 scoring opportunities.
“We were well-organized on defence and we hit the ball well into the counter-attack,” Martin said.
Cowichan’s first goal came against the play and ended with Paddy Nelson feeding the ball to Cooper Barry, who scored his league-leading sixth goal of the season. Nelson made it 2-0 after taking a long feed from Tyler Hughes while the Nanaimo players were arguing with the referee about a foul.
In the second half, Nelson scored his second of the game in the second half on a solid individual effort. Prior to that, he had an incredible chance after winding his way through the entire Nanaimo lineup, but fired the ball over the net. In another brilliant scoring opportunity for Cowichan, Josh Cuthbert rang the ball off the post.
Nanaimo’s best chance to score came about five minutes into the second half after Govinda Innes pulled down former Cowichan scoring star Ryan Andre in the box and they were awarded a penalty shot. Cowichan keeper Sam Hutchison made the stop, the only save he had to make on the night.
“That could have turned things around big time,” Martin said. “That makes it 2-1 and they are coming on.”
Martin praised his players for another good team effort as the squad continues to carry a limited roster, with Dan Cato and captain Jesse Winter sidelined last weekend.
Cuthbert was named Man of the Match for playing just two days after he had four wisdom teeth removed, while Hughes, Steve Scott and Kevan Brown were all their usual strong selves.
The win improved Cowichan’s record to five wins, no losses and one tie, and the team remains first in Division 1. LMG has a huge game this weekend as they visit Bays Friday night in the battle for first place.
