Paddy Nelson scored his league-leading 19th and 20th goals of the Vancouver Island Soccer League season on Saturday as Cowichan LMG beat the VI Wave 2-0 at the Sherman Road Turf.
Nelson scored his first of the afternoon 30 minutes into the game, then converted a penalty shot just before halftime. Cowichan pushed to add another one in the second half, but came up short.
“We came out pushing for the third goal,” Cowichan head coach Glen Martin said. “We had lots of chances, but we couldn’t get it.”
Jamie Taylor had a solid afternoon in the middle of the pitch. Scott Brown wasn’t busy as he earned his fifth shutout of the season, but was up to the task.
“He looked strong,” Martin said. “He looked like he was ready to play.”
The victory gave LMG another valuable three points in the standings as they close in on their third straight league title. Cowichan now sits first in Div. 1 with 36 points and four games remaining, while second-place Vic West has 34 points and two matches left.
LMG has two games coming up this weekend, both at home. The team hosts Prospect Lake on Friday at 7:15 p.m. in the Jackson Cup tournament quarterfinals, then has Comox Valley United in town at noon on Sunday for a VISL match.
Cowichan United, meanwhile, won two VISL league games on the weekend, beating Prospect Lake 1-0 at Layritz Turf on Friday and Fred Milne Park Rangers 3-1 in Sooke on Saturday. Dan Citra scored the lone goal on Friday, Darian Achurch had the shutout, and Jordan Crocker was named Man of the Match. Kevin Smith, Jonas Golf-Myers and Man of the Match Ryan Sampson scored on Saturday.
United will also play a Jackson Cup semifinal this weekend, visiting the VI Wave at Finlayson Turf at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday.