Following a draw at the Sherman Road turf on Friday night, Cowichan LMG remains undefeated in Div. 1 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League, but the situation is far from perfect.
“It was another game we should have won,” Cowichan head coach Glen Martin lamented. “We have three ties; I thought we could have won those games, but we didn’t. We’re not getting wins we would like to get.”
Cowichan had to come from behind to score the tying goal against Vic West on Friday in a game that started well for the home team, but came to a bizarre finish.
“Vic West was probably the most aggressive team we’ve played so far,” Martin said. “They closed us down. They didn’t give us time on the ball. They were tough to play against.”
Cowichan’s Russell Lederer fooled Vic West’s remarkable goalkeeper to open the scoring for Cowichan late in the first half.
“It was a beautiful shot,” Martin said. “To beat that goalie, he must have had some bend on that one.”
The Vic West keeper stymied Cowichan on multiple occasions.
“He was quick,” Martin said. “He was a super good goalie. He made some good saves.”
Vic West managed to tie the score, then went ahead on a successful penalty kick late in the second half, awarded after three players collided in a play that few, if any, observers felt was an infraction.
There was still enough time left, however, for Cowichan to even the score on a goal by midfielder Kevan Brown.
“I was glad we came back and tied it quick, or it would have been real bad,” Martin said.
Things got even more dramatic in the dying minutes of the match, when the Vic West keeper was given a red card after audibly using impolite language on the pitch. A teammate was also given a red card when he came in to argue the first call. On his way to the dressing room, the goalie took out his frustrations on a sign bolted to the outside of the fence surrounding the turf. Fortunately, the sign didn’t sustain any damage. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for Cowichan to capitalize on the ejections.
“It’s too bad there wasn’t much time left,” Martin said. “They were two guys down, no proper goalie. With more time, we probably could have pulled it out.”
Cowichan LMG’s season continues to go the way Martin expected, with goals at a premium at both ends of the pitch.
“Every game will be a hard-fought, tough game,” Martin said. “You have to work for every point you can get. I think every game will be the same. Whether we win, lose or tie, every game will be close.”
Cowichan will play the first of three consecutive road games this weekend, visiting Lakehill on Friday at Braefoot Park. Lakehill is in a three-way tie with Mid Isle and Nanaimo for first place in Div. 1.
“We will be prepared to put in the work ethic and get to the competitive level we’ve got to be at,” Martin said.