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Cowichan soccer teams set for semifinal showdown

Axis and Oak win quarter-final matches, will meet up this Sunday at 5 p.m.
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Mike Daniels scored the winning goal and set up another in Cowichan Axis’s McGavin Cup quarter-final win over Saltspring United last Sunday. (Todd Blumel photo)

One of Cowichan’s senior men’s soccer teams is guaranteed to play in the final of the McGavin Cup tournament.

Div. 1 Cowichan Axis and Div. 3 Cowichan Oak FC both won their quarter-final matches at the Sherman Road turf last Sunday and will meet up again this Sunday with a berth in the final on the line.

The first game of the afternoon saw The Oak defeat Div. 4 Cook Street United 2-0 on goals by Alex Smith and Luca Klotz, and a clean sheet from Jordan Hensel.

“The game was more even than we would have liked,” Oak head coach Jonas Golf-Myers acknowledged. “But our quality eventually showed itself.”

Cowichan Axis faced a strong Div. 2 team from Saltspring Island that included former Cowichan players Kevan Brown and Farley Cannon. Saltspring opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes, but that only seemed to help the Cowichan cause.

“Once we got scored on, it settled us down a bit,” Axis coach Ryan Flynn said. “It reminded us that we are a Div. 1 team and they are a Div. 2 team, and it should be a win for us.”

Mike Daniels set up Blaze Roberts for the tying goal a few minutes after Saltspring scored, and Daniels popped in the winner in the 85th minute.

Flynn is looking forward to the all-Cowichan semifinal this Sunday at 5 p.m.

“We’re still playing to win,” he said. “It should be an interesting game. They have a couple of guys who could be playing Div. 1 easily. They’ll be ready for us.”

Axis is still wearing the familiar Cowichan LMG kit, but that should change soon, with new unis on the way. LMG Insurance was purchased by Axis Insurance a couple of years ago, and the rebrand has been in the works since then.

“It’s a nice start, a refresh,” Flynn said. “It kind of gives us a new look, starting over with new jerseys, a new name, a new identity.”

Other key sponsors of Cowichan Axis include Lendlab Financial, VanRock Construction, Red Arrow Brewing and Kaspa Construction.



Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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