Having already locked up a berth in the provincial U21 soccer championships by virtue of reaching the George Smith Cup final, Cowichan United didn’t have anything riding on their final league game on Sunday.
The shorthanded team still played hard, although they ended up falling 4-3 to Lakehill, who secured second place in the league and their own place at provincials.
“I was happy with our performance,” Cowichan coach Tyler Hughes said. “Lakehill is a good team. Our boys, even though the game had no meaning in terms of provincial competition, they brought some intensity, competed, and scored some goals.”
Due to a combination of injuries, illnesses and spring break, Cowichan had just 11 players available for the match, so all the players got a full 90 minutes of action. Hughes also got to see some of his players in different positions.
“That’s kind of what you get,” Hughes said. “We’re the youngest team in the league, so spring break is an issue with us. I was talking to the Lakehill coach, and he was saying it’s not an issue with them because they’re all university kids. It’s great we have a young team, but we have different issues that pop up.”
Cowichan’s goals came from Logan Kits, Liam Thibodeau-Perry and Bjorn Erickson, who was named Man of the Match.
“Bjorn has really come on strong the last few weeks,” Hughes pointed out. “He’s playing hard and playing with more confidence. I’m happy for him; it’s well-deserved.”
With the loss, Cowichan ends their debut season in third place in the seven-team league, but the team will play for the George Smith Cup in Victoria this Saturday.