Jade Soluk scored twice and nearly completed a hat trick as the Cowichan Outlaws opened the Lower Island Women’s Soccer Association Div. 2 season with a 3-0 win over Prospect Lake last Sunday.
Tiara Enger scored Cowichan’s first goal of the match, and goalkeeper Gabrielle Marcolin recorded the shutout.
The players have bought into a new style of play this year, head coach Neall Rowlings said, and it is already paying off.
“This is good for our confidence as last year we only won two games,” Rowlings noted. “But that is far from good enough for this team; we are going to push hard to finish in the top two this season.”
About half the roster is new this season, but training sessions have gone smoothly. The team had three injuries on Sunday and two players absent from the match, but Rowlings expects to have a full bench this Sunday when the team hosts Lakehill at the Sherman Road turf at noon.
The Over 30A Cowichan Cougars also opened their season with a win, beating Gorge 4-1 at Evans Park behind two goals from Claudette Grimshaw and one each from Stacey DeLusignan and Marcie Welcher. Sara Day had a solid outing in goal to collect the win.
“I was very happy with how the whole team started the season,” coach Darian Achurch said. “We were very solid from our goalkeeping and defence through the midfield and forward lines. Even all our subs that came on made our team better. This year marks a contrast to last season when the Cougars struggled to field a team by the end of the year, due to a number of injuries.”
Sweeper Courtenay McGeachy echoed Achurch’s comments.
“We are definitely a better team this year,” she said. “The depth is key to keeping our team moving on the field and injuries at bay.”
The Cougars, who are sponsored by Cowichan Wastewater Plus and Valley Health and Fitness, will visit Castaways this Friday.