The top two teams in pool B in Div. 4 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League played to a 1-1 draw in a testy affair at the Sherman Road turf last Saturday afternoon.
Cowichan Red Arrow and Castaways Invicta both went into the match with 19 points on the season, although Cowichan’s had come in eight games, while Castaways had accrued theirs in seven.
“We scored early in a highly combative affair,” Cowichan head coach Will Chaster recalled. “And they scored with seconds remaining to tie.”
The match resulted in multiple yellow cards, including at least one to Cowichan.
“I think the physical nature of the game had us tense,” Chaster said.
It wasn’t just on the pitch, either. Castaways fans who made the trek over the Malahat did their best to get into Red Arrow’s heads during the match, but the Cowichan players kept their cool.
“The travelling fans were an embarrassment to the league and it could have easily led their team to a forfeit loss had the referee been less tolerant,” Chaster commented.
Cowichan remains a close second to Castaways in the pool B standings. Red Arrow will visit Sunday Pick-up League FC in Victoria this Saturday. Cowichan won 2-1 when the teams last squared off in mid-September.