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Chalifoux steals the show in debut for LMG

Newcomer scores two as Cowichan beats JDF
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Craig Gorman (10) slides a pass to Cowichan LMG teammate Keevan Webb (6) during their team’s 4-0 win over Juan de Fuca at the Sherman Road turf. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)

Cowichan LMG’s newest addition lived up to his nickname in his first soccer game with the club.

Head coach Glen Martin is particularly fond of assigning nicknames to his players, and was quick to dub Chalifoux “Steal the Show.” That’s exactly what the midseason signing out of Vancouver Island University did in his debut with the team last Friday.

“He said, ‘I’ll try,’” Martin said. “And did he ever.”

Chalifoux entered the match as a sub with about 20 minutes left to play, and scored his first two Div. 1 goals as Cowichan defeated Juan de Fuca All Flows 4-0 at the Sherman Road turf.

Despite sitting in seventh place in Div. 1 with just two wins on the season, Juan de Fuca wasn’t a team to be taken lightly, particularly after playing to a scoreless tie the week before against Westcastle, who sit just ahead of Cowichan in the standings.

“We were a little worried,” admitted Martin, who had to watch last Friday’s match as he sat out the second game of a two-game suspension. “They had a great result the week before. To hold Westcastle to zero goals, I don’t know how they did it.”

Cowichan dominated the game in the first half, but it wasn’t until the 44th minute that Craig Gorman put the team ahead 1-0 with his second goal of the season and first since Sept. 28. Both of Gorman’s goals this year have played out as game-winners.

“That was a big goal, a huge goal,” Martin said. “We were outplaying them so badly.”

Cowichan didn’t come out well in the second half, but held on to the 1-0 lead. Chalifoux came into the game late in the second half, then doubled his team’s lead at 75 minutes. Stevan Zorich scored four minutes later, and Chalifoux added his second in the 89th minute. Darian Achurch earned his fourth shutout of the season, tied for the second highest total in Div. 1.

Although his team dominated the match and deserved to win decisively, Martin noted that the score would have been closer if not for the late outburst.

“It felt like a 4-0 game,” he said. “But it could have just as easily been a 1-0 game.”

LMG will have a short trek to their next game as they visit the Mid Isle Mariners at the Ladysmith’s Forrest Field on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Ladysmith turf was Cowichan’s home park prior to the opening of the Sherman Road turf.

“It’s our second home,” Martin said. “We’ve played a lot of games there over the years.”



Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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