Cowichan FC, sponsored by The Society Barbershop, got back to winning ways on Sunday, defeating Gorge United 1-0 in a physical affair at Hampton Turf in Saanich.
The first half was played almost entirely in the midfield, but Gorge started the second half on the front foot.
They were, however, caught on the counter attack in the 48th minute when Cowichan keeper Kate Collins sent a long drop kick down field over the heads of the Gorge defenders. Cowichan forward Jada Hill chased a defender down to the 18-yard box, and stripped her of the ball. Hill then slid the ball past the on-rushing Gorge keeper to give Cowichan the lead.
“It was a dominant performance from our defence, turning the tables on the best defensive team in the league,” head coach Adam Paulson said. “Gorge never really threatened our net today; some great defensive headers and holding a strong offside line really held their strikers at bay. We have been dealing with a lot of smaller injuries as the season has worn on, and unfortunately, we picked up two more with both Tiana Chau and Aisha Werner going down this week.”
Cowichan now enters a bye week, and the players will get some well-earned rest, before returning for their last game before the winter break, Dec. 10 on the road.
“The bye comes at a good point for us, and we just need to navigate one more game before a month off to rest up over the winter break,” Paulson noted.
Div. III
On the rainy evening of Nov. 26, the Cowichan Cobras hosted Bays United FC at the Sherman Road turf. Despite having their chances, the team fell to United 1-0. They now sit fifth in their pool of seven and are set to face pool-leading Riptide FC on the road this coming Sunday.
“We lost but it was one of those tough losses,” explained coach Darren Hart. “They scored on a corner kick. Somebody managed to get a hip on it and bumped it in.”
Hart explained the Cobras as a new team this year and the team was created following the Div. 2 team’s jump to Div. 1 this season. Hart said some of the Cobras now get called up to play with the Div. 1 or over 3o teams as a result.
“It’s expanded the number of players at our club. It’s neat for the ladies to get called up and play with other teams,” Hart noted. “It’s nice to see more people playing soccer.”
Over 30
The Cowichan Cougars had a bye over the weekend after losing to league-leading Castaways United 8-0 on Nov. 18. Their next game is Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. at the Sherman Road turf when they play host to Gorge FC. Gorge sits three places ahead of them in the standings.