A possible wild cougar in the neighbourhood wasn’t enough to spur the Cowichan Cougars women’s soccer team to victory on Friday night.
Warnings of a cougar sighting were posted around the Camosun Interurban Campus field when the Cowichan team arrived to face Castaways, the top team in the Over 30A division.
“It was a bit unnerving,” Cowichan player Michelle Steeves noted. “But also kind of funny how it is our team name.”
The Cougars played an excellent game against the league leaders, meeting the Castaways players at every position and trading chances throughout the game. Castaways mananged to capitalize on a rare scoring chance, putting the ball into the net from a scramble, while their goalie came up with some big saves to preserve the shutout.
“It was a very strong effort by our team,” coach Darian Achurch said. “We have played very well against the top team every time and always come away losing by a goal. It is frustrating but also encouraging to see how competitive we are in this league.”
The Cougars sit fourth in the six-team division, but could make some headway before the Christmas break. They will begin that push on Sunday when they host second-place Gorge FC at Evans Park, beginning at 10 a.m.