Cowichan 49ers head coach Kevin James wasn’t pulling any punches after his team’s 2-0 loss to Gorge Backfit in a Vancouver Island Soccer League Masters A game at the Sherman Road turf on Saturday.
And the punches were all aimed right back at himself.
“As the coach, I take full responsibility for not having the guys prepared,” he said. “It was a learning experience for me. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
The defending Tony Grover Cup champion 49ers had opened the season with a victory a week earlier, but couldn’t make it a streak.
“It was just one of those games,” James said. “We came out flat. It was a slow-paced game. We didn’t capitalize on our chances. We didn’t have our best work ethic or energy. They deserved to win. They out-worked us. It was an eye-opener. We can’t take anything for granted. Last season was last season, and this season is this season.”
The Niners were missing “seven or eight guys,” from their roster, but James wouldn’t use that as an excuse.
“The team we had was fully capable,” he said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t have had a better outing. It came down to not being prepared and a lack of intensity.”
The Cowichan team will visit a stacked UVic Alumni team this Friday.
“We can beat them,” James said. “But we have to have a better work ethic than in the Gorge game.”
The Masters B Cowichan Steelheads also lost last week, falling 2-1 to the CB Red Barn Bobcats on Friday. The team’s only goal came from Steven Richards. The Steelheads visit Vic West this Sunday.
kevin.rothbauer@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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