Kevin Rothbauer Citizen
Winning a battle between two previously undefeated teams last Friday, Cowichan United held fast to first place in Div. 2 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League.
Cowichan improved to a perfect 4-0 with a 2-0 victory over a pesky Westcastle United squad that went into the match with a win and three ties so far in the season. Game MVP Dan Citra and Kevin Smith scored Cowichan’s goals, while the team also got strong play from Walter Werner and Jordan Crocker, who were called up from Div. 3 Cowichan Red Arrow, and Adam Taft, who was summoned from the Masters A 49ers. Darian Achurch had the shutout.
Cowichan United will host Prospect Lake this Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Sherman Road turf.
Crocker earned game MVP honours on Sunday as he and Werner played another strong game, this time for Cowichan Red Arrow in a 2-1 win over Castaways in Div. 3A.
Thanks to a slow start, Red Arrow trailed 1-0 after just five minutes of play. Both teams continued to create chances, and with about 10 minutes left in the second half, the Cowichan team earned a series of free kicks, finally converting when Sam Smith sent the ball into the box. Pedro Cavalcante, a 16-year-old international student from Brookes Shawnigan Lake chipped the ball over the goalie, and Crocker finished it off with a header.
With about two minutes left in the game, Red Arrow earned another free kick at centre, and coach Curtis Flynn pressed for the win, sending everyone forward. Smith sent the ball in, where Cavalcante received it and was fouled in the box. The resulting penalty shot was converted by Jedson August for the winning goal. Jeff Lederer had a strong outing in goal.
Red Arrow will be at home this Sunday, hosting Prospect Lake at 2:15 p.m. at Sherman Road.
The Masters A Cowichan 49ers took a depleted lineup to Victoria on Saturday to face Saanich Internationals, and returned home with a 3-0 win, running their record to 4-0-1. Although the 49ers were missing Masters A scoring leader George Thomas, they managed to get two goals from Ryan Fusick and one from Sebastian Titone, while Rob McIntyre earned the shutout.
The Niners have this weekend off, but will return to action on Nov. 4 when they host Nanaimo United at 7 p.m.
Cowichan’s other Masters C team, the Steelheads, lost 2-1 to Bays United last Saturday, getting their lone goal from Ali Tabrizi. The Steelheads will play at home against Vic West this Saturday at 4 p.m.
In Div. 2 of the Lower Island Women’s Soccer Association, the Cowichan Outlaws lost 2-1 to Castaways last Sunday and will be at home to Nanaimo this Sunday at noon at Evans Park.
The Cowichan Cougars lost their Over 30A game against Prospect Lake 3-0 last Sunday and will host Castaways United this Sunday at 10 a.m., also at Evans Park.
