Unbeaten top two opening up gap at top of VISL Division 1

The first month of top division amateur men’s soccer has been completed on the island and the top two teams in Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Division 1 have come through it unbeaten and still with 100% records after their first four matches.

Here’s how the VISL Division 1 matches played out this past weekend.

Friday started off with a closer than expected game as Lakehill defeated Westcastle 2-0 thanks to a pair of goals from Blair Sturrock. Earning the shutout for Lakehill was keeper Quin Henry. Game MVP honors: Lakehill – Tarnvir Bhandal. Westcastle – Julian Dosanjh.

Saturday saw a battle of two teams that had not scored yet, nor had they earned any points. The game ended with home side Powell River Villa defeating the Victoria Highlanders 2-1. Villa had goals from Richard Murphy and James Timothy, while the Highlanders goal came from Tanin Azizi. Game MVP honors: Villa – Richard Murphy. Highlanders – Tanin Azizi.

Saturday also saw Cowichan travel to Comox and come away with a 1-0 win after scoring very late in the game. The Cowichan marker came from Connor Crichton in the 88th minute. Earning his first shutout of the season was keeper Braeden Nash. Game MVP honors: Cowichan – Connor Crichton. Comox – Charlie Purcell.

The last game on Saturday saw Gorge keeping their undefeated streak going with a 4-1 win over Nanaimo United. Gorge had goals from Hatim El Zahari, Griffin Leach, and a pair from Evan Louden. Nanaimo’s lone marker came from Masters permitted player Matthew Mehrassa. Game MVP honors: Gorge – Mike Dunham. Nanaimo – Daragh Fitzgerald.

The weekend wrapped up with a late Sunday match that saw the also undefeated Vic West defeat Bays United 5-1. Patrick Nelson had one goal, while Salem Almardy and Ian Whibley both slotted two each. Bays got their lone marker from Rhys Foster. Game MVP honors: Vic West – Chris Merriman. Bays – keeper Mitchell Whittla.

Here is how the VISL Division 1table is looking after the first month of league play in the new season:

Gorge and Vic West stay atop the table, both undefeated with 4 & 0 records. This has people buzzing about their matchup on October 20. There is a big old mess from positions 3-7 as all teams are within one point. The interesting note to the standings is seeing the Victoria Highlanders in the basement, just behind Westcastle.

The Clean Sheets listing has a change as Quin Henry of Lakehill stands alone after earning his second shutout of the season. There are many keepers with one, so this leaderboard will have many changing options in the coming weeks.

The goalscoring race sees Vic West leading the Golden Boot leaderboard with two scorers. Ian Whibley leads all with 10 goals after four games, with Salem Almardy just one behind.

It was an enjoyable weekend of soccer up and down the Island, with beautiful weather. While we hope to have more weekends like the one past, we know the rain is coming!

Here’s all the action on the slate in Division 1 this weekend.

Thanks for supporting local grassroots soccer – and the players that work, live, play, and go to school in your community. A reminder you can find all the results and fixtures, across all the divisions, at VISL.org.