As player Patrick Foley put it, Cowichan Red Arrow’s Div. 4 men’s soccer match against Zgoda Juniors on Sunday afternoon was a “reality check.”
Injuries, health, and family and work commitments kept 13 players away from the game, and another wasn’t able to arrive at Victoria’s Topaz Park until halftime. It all added up to a 6-2 loss for Cowichan, just the second loss of the season and the first defeat since Sept. 15.
“We came out strong and scored first,” Red Arrow coach Will Chaster reported. “But shortly gave up a couple to fall behind and then we were able to stay that way for the balance on the half.”
Cowichan struggled to keep up in the second half.
“We continued to trade chances after the restart and lost ground after a penalty call that they converted,” Chaster said. “A little deflated by this, we began to press immediately and beat their keeper but not the frame and though the rebound came back out in from we could not get to it first.
“Playing on a really slippery grass/mud pitch created many turnovers in the game. The bad news for us was ours ended up deep in our defensive third and turned quickly into our net.”
Cowichan will play host to Juan de Fuca Pilgrims this coming Saturday at the Sherman Road turf, kicking off at 4 p.m.