Cowichan LMG played to a 4-0 loss to Nanaimo United in their home opener at the Sherman Road turf on Friday night.
Without a lot of bodies on the bench, it’s been tough for Cowichan to keep pace with their opponents thus far in the young Div. 1 soccer season, according to head coach Ryan Flynn.
“As a whole, with our lack of depth, we held our ground pretty well until about halftime,” he said. “They’re a very strong team compared to ours, in terms of personnel.”
Nanaimo scored two goals late in the first half, then added another two in the second. Goalkeeper Braeden Nash made some big stops during the match to keep his team in contention.
“All in all, it was a positive game,” Flynn commented. “We were missing a couple of players who would have made a bit of a difference.”
Nash is a rookie in the Div. 1 ranks, as were both spares that Cowichan had on the bench on Friday. A couple of the other starters were with the team last year, but didn’t see a lot of playing time. The team has two weeks off between games right now, and Flynn expects to add a couple more signings before the next match, and that depth will be vital as the season continues.
“It all comes down to personnel,” he said.
Cowichan will be ready for the next match, in Nanaimo on Oct. 30, and Flynn expects that last week’s result will have Nanaimo expecting another easy game.
“We’ll be more prepared,” he said. “They’ll be thinking they have confidence, which we want. We’ll be ready.”
Also, a reminder that as much as the team likes the support of their fans, the club is required to limit the number of people at games to less than 50 during the COVID-19 pandemic.