In two games last week, Cowichan LMG took a huge step toward securing a fifth-straight Garrison Cup title and started their journey toward the Jackson Cup final.
Cowichan beat Westcastle 3-0 in a “home” game at Sooke last Wednesday, moving within a single point of claiming the Vancouver Island Soccer League Div. 1 championship for the fifth year in a row. On Saturday, the team defeated Vic West 4-0 to get through the first round of the Jackson Cup tournament.
Cowichan hasn’t been able to play at the Sherman Road turf for several weeks, so last Wednesday’s match — technically a home game — was moved to Sooke’s grass field, and it worked out just as Cowichan head coach Glen Martin hoped. The first game of the home-and-home series against second-place Westcastle was played at Westhills Stadium and ended in a 1-1 draw. Martin wanted to play the second game on a pitch more suited to his club than the young, speedy Westcastle squad.
“We went from the big turf field at Westhills to a small grass field at Sooke,” he said. “That was by design, and it went according to plan.”
The victory gives Cowichan a five-point lead over Westcastle in the push for the Garrison Cup. Both teams have two games left to play, and no one else in Div. 1 can catch them.
“It was really good for us to win that game,” Martin said. “It doesn’t win us the league, but it goes a long way toward winning the league.”
To demonstrate just how much the bumpy grass pitch limited Westcastle’s effectiveness, goalkeeper Darian Achurch was Cowichan’s Man of the Match in the previous game between the teams, and he didn’t have to make a single save in the rematch.
“It’s amazing how much difference a field can make,” Martin said. “You don’t know until you play the game how well they’d adjust to it.”
Cowichan opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Kevan Brown scored from a scramble in the box. Craig Gorman had the next goal off a throw-in by captain Jesse Winters about two thirds of the way through the first half. An own-goal in the first five minutes of the second half crushed any hope Westcastle had of mounting a comeback.
“They made a pass back to their goalie and it went over his foot because of the bumpy field,” Martin noted. “That broke their back.”
Playing in his hometown, Cowichan veteran Steve Scott earned Man of the Match honours. U21 call-ups Adyn Lamont and Igor Liah logged big minutes for the team at right back and forward, respectively.
Call-ups aren’t eligible to play cup games, however, so Cowichan had to go forth with a depleted lineup in their Jackson Cup opener against Vic West at Finlayson Park on Saturday. Several players stepped up under the circumstances, including Jacob Ready, who hasn’t played a lot this year but started at right back, and Russell Lederer, normally a forward, who started at left back.
Team captain Jesse Winters scored two goals off corner kicks and rang a third chance off the crossbar, earning Man of the Match and showing that he is back in form after missing two seasons due to injuries. Gorman opened the scoring, and Tyson Black scored Cowichan’s fourth goal, while Achurch picked up another shutout.
Cowichan will continue the Jackson Cup tournament this Friday when they face Bays United at Oak Bay High School in the quarter-final round. Bays has been hot lately, moving from sixth to fourth in the standings. Notably, the team is led by Paddy Nelson and Cooper Barry, who experienced tremendous success over several years with Cowichan before switching sides last off-season.
Cowichan won both meetings between the teams in league play, but Martin isn’t expecting an easy game on Friday.
“It will be a tough game,” he said. “They’re always up for us anyway, and they need to get to the Jackson Cup final to make provincials. They know it’s a big game for them, and it’s a big game for us too.”