Cowichan United’s closest geographic rivals in the Vancouver Island Soccer League U21 division seem to bring out their best.
Cowichan is the lone team to have taken a point off of the first-place Mid Isle Mariners this season, with a 1-1 draw in their first game of the year. Last Sunday, even though Cowichan lost the match at the Sherman Road turf, Tyler Hughes felt it was his team’s best outing of the season.
“It was a very good game for both sides,” he said. “High-tempo, good soccer. We played with good intensity. It was a great game for the U21 division, for sure.”
Cowichan opened the scoring about 15 minutes into the match on Devin Jack’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.
“We wanted to focus on the first 15 minutes,” Hughes said. “As a team, we wanted to press and see of we could score in the first 15 minutes of the game.”
Mid Isle pressed back, tying the game, then pulling ahead 2-1.
Playing in his first game back since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Cowichan’s last match against Mid Isle on Sept. 23, Nic Fusick punctuated a strong game at centre mid alongside his older brother Michael with a goal to make it 2-2.
The Mariners regained the lead, but Cowichan had chances to draw even once again. Logan Kits, who also returned from an injury to play the second half on Sunday, helped generate several of those opportunities.
“He gave us a lot of energy and created a lot of chances,” Hughes said.
Kits was taken down for a penalty shot that Cowichan was unable to capitalize on.
“We had other chances pressing late in the game,” the coach observed. “We were unfortunate not to get the tying goal. All things considered, a tie would have been a fine result for the game, but it doesn’t always work like that.”
In addition to the goal-scorers, Cowichan also got good games from centre backs Adyn Lamont and Jeremy Stacey.
“They had their hands full,” Hughes noted. “But they limited Mid Isle to very few scoring opportunities.”
Now fourth in the U21 league, Cowichan United has one win, three draws and three losses. They head to Oak Bay this Sunday to face fifth-place Bays United. Cowichan beat Bays 4-3 in their last meeting on Sept. 30.
“We’ve put together two solid performances in a row,” Hughes said. “If we can get another one, maybe we’ll get a good result as well.”
