Glen Martin was straining to find positives after his Cowichan FC team demolished the Prospect Lake Lakers 13-0 last Saturday.
"That sort of thing shouldn't happen in Division 1," he said. "It shouldn't happen in any division. It's not good for our guys, and it's not good for the young guys on the other team."
The game was the last Vancouver Island Soccer League contest for the Cowichan squad, which wraps up play with an 11-3-2 record, and can't finish any lower than third place.
In the end, Martin found three things to be pleased about: the lopsided victory helped his squad's goal differential, it boosted some players' confidence, and it gave netminder Bob Stankov a good re-introduction to the team after a few seasons away.
Stankov, who saw little action, needing to punch just one ball away, managed to get into one game with Cowichan before Jackson Cup play begins next week.
"It feels good having him there," Martin said. "He feels compatible." Ryan Andre and Connor Crichton boosted their confidence with hat tricks against Prospect Lake. Kevin Jones and Steve Scott scored twice, and Colin Knight, Brad Thorne and Ben Robson had one each.
Martin gave credit to Prospect Lake for making the trip to Ladysmith despite having just 10 players, one of whom had to leave at halftime.
With league play over, Cowichan can focus on the Jackson Cup tournament. The team takes the field this Saturday for a play-in game against Gorge's Div. 2 team at Ladysmith at 7 p.m. Martin knows better than to underestimate a Div. 2 entry.
"In Cup games, you've got to expect that they'll raise their level of play," he said. "They have nothing to lose, they're not supposed to win, and they want to show they can play against Div. 1 teams. Every year, there seems to be a Div. 2 team that gives us a go. We've got to be prepared for a team that can play."