The Cowichan 49ers suffered their first loss of the masters A soccer season last weekend, falling 3-2 to UVic Alumni at the Sherman Road turf on Friday night.
Head coach Kevin James was absent from the match, and Cowichan LMG coach Glen Martin stepped up to fill in. But don’t blame Martin for the result. In addition to their coach, the 49ers were playing without half a dozen quality players, and it just wasn’t enough to beat a team like UVic.
“The team was totally undermanned,” Martin noted. “They had one spare. It was a good effort by the guys who were there.”
Martin wouldn’t want to play a Div. 1 match with such an empty bench, let alone a masters game.
“Even in our game, it’s hard to get a win with one spare,” he said. “In over-35s, you can’t do it.”
UVic, meanwhile, had 14 or 15 players available.
“You could tell by looking at them that they had all their best guys there,” Martin noted.
Cowichan goalkeeper Rob McIntyre played well, and Stu Barker and Tyler Hughes — who both played Div. 1 soccer for Martin — scored the goals. The 49ers had chances to tie the game toward the end, but they didn’t pan out.
It was the worst possible game for Cowichan to lose, as UVic came into the match with just one loss under their belts, and essentially pulled even with the 49ers as a result. Cowichan’s record dropped to 12-1 with the loss, while UVic’s improved to 13-1.
The 49ers will look to return to their winning ways this Friday when they visit the Cordova Bay Bobcats at Lochside Turf.
The masters B Cowichan Steelheads did come away with a win last weekend, beating Castaways Juniors 2-1 at the Sherman Road turf on Saturday night.
The Steelheads are second in the masters B division, two points back of Lakehill. They visit Prospect Lake at Layritz Park this Friday.
