It was dark, it was rainy, and it was intense. It was the Cowichan vs. Cowichan masters soccer battle fans have been waiting for since they last met in October.
It took more than 20 minutes for the 49ers to score on their masters counterparts, the Steelheads, during their head-to-head battle Saturday night at the Sherman Road turf.
In the 21st minute, Darcy Penner opened the scoring.
Matthew James added another for the 49ers in the 47th minute.
Jesse Winter made it 3-0 with a goal in the 64th minute.
Stuart Barker gave Cowichan their last goal in the 71st minute of play.
Once again, Darian Achurch earned the shutout, bringing his shutout tally to nine on the season.
Div. I
Cowichan FC played to a 1-1 draw with Bays United at the Sherman Road turf on Nov. 25.
Cowichan found themselves down just 12 minutes into the competition but Michael Daniels netted a goal 21 minutes in to even the score, which held up through the final whistle.
Up next is a Dec. 3 match on the road against Comox Valley United.
Div. III
Cowichan Oak FC met the Mid Isle Mariners in Ladysmith on Nov. 27 and came away with a 3-1 loss.
Down two at the half, Cowichan’s only goal came in the 66th minute off the foot of Alex Smith.
The Mariners scored one more to seal the deal in a contest that saw six yellow cards handed out (four to Cowichan) and Cowichan’s Conor Williams and Isaac Bell receive red cards via yellow card accumulation.
“Another spirited effort from the boys unfortunately couldn’t get us over the line,” Smith said. “Ultimately a couple of early mistakes, which seems to be the narrative all season, had us chasing the game from the first few minutes.”
The Oak’s next game is Dec. 2, at the Sherman Road turf against Vantreights FC. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
