After losing their first game of the Stephanie Shergold Cup round robin, the Cowichan Cougars needed a big win in their second game to stay alive, and they got it on Sunday morning.
The Cougars have been looking for an offensive breakthrough all season, and it finally happened when it mattered most as the O30A women’s soccer team clobbered a shorthanded Fernwood Town Div. 2 side 7-0 at Evans Park
Fernwood started the game down a player, and ended with only nine players, and the Cougars took advantage of the situation. Cowichan controlled play for most of the first half, but had only a 1-0 lead to show for it, on a goal by Jenna Waddy.
“It was just a matter of time before the goals started to go in,” Cougars coach Darian Achurch remarked. “We hit a crossbar and there were some goal-mouth scrambles early, but we knew we would wear them down.”
The Cougars kept up the pressure in the second half and were rewarded first with a goal by Alita Mattin, then with Waddy’s second of the game after an excellent cross by Tonya Kilmer.
“We have been working on exploiting the wings and dribbling towards the goal on the end line before hitting a low cross,” Kilmer noted. “It finally managed to work just how we practiced it.”
The Cougars kept going, getting goals from Venessa MacDowell and Stacey de Lusignan before Waddy completed her hat trick. Ali Garnett rounded out the scoring with her team’s fourth of the morning.
MacDowell earned the Player of the Game award, sponsored by Fresh Kenny’s Fish and Chips, for her strong play at both ends of the field.
The Cougars will look for a second win in cup play and a chance to move to the playoff round when they visit O30A Castaways United this Friday.