Despite the absence of head coach Kevin James for their game last Saturday, the Craig Street 49ers managed to pull off a 2-0 victory over the Cordova Bay Bobcats in a masters soccer showdown at the Sherman Road turf.
Taking the reins for the match, Neall Rowlings just had to figure out how to channel James.
“The boys came out a little flat,” Rowlings said. “They kept telling me I had to yell more obscenities to make them feel like Kevin was around.”
A nice goal by Stu Barker opened the scoring, and Henry Nelson, who lives in Alert Bay, but still suits up for Cowichan, scored his first goal of the season after corralling his own rebound. Preston Johnny recorded his second straight shutout in goal.
The 49ers’ Masters B counterparts, the Cowichan Steelheads, visited Gorge FC Backfit last Saturday, and came home with a 2-0 loss.
The two Cowichan teams will square off on the Sherman Road turf this Saturday at 5 p.m. in what promises to be a hotly contested game. The 49ers sit atop the Masters A standings with a 6-1-0 record, while the 1-4-2 Steelheads are eighth in the Masters B division.
Both teams will be fired up for the Battle of Cowichan.
“This will be a derby,” Rowlings said. “Not a game to be taken lightly.”
kevin.rothbauer@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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