VISL Round-up: Jackson Cup quarter-finals set as Cowichan close in on 5th straight league title
It was one of the Vancouver Island Soccer League’s (VISL) busiest weekends of the year with both Jackson Cup and regular season action mixed in together, all of which provided plenty of soccer action to take in to say the least.
The Jackson Cup had the bulk of games, and here is the breakdown, as well as how the bracket unfolds:
This round of games got underway on Saturday and it started off with a beauty at Merle Logan Turf in Nanaimo. It took 120 minutes to decide it, but Lakehill FC defeated hosts Nanaimo United 3-2.
Youth call up Reid Adams and Tarnvir Bhandal got Lakehill’s first two goals, with Andres Algarin and Griffin Douglas on the scoresheet for Nanaimo. But it was to be the veteran Blair Sturrock who would hit the 107th minute winner to send the visitors through.
Next up were Gorge United of Division 2, who hosted Lakehill’s Division 2 team at Hampton Turf. The home side ran out 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Devin Austin, Declan Simard, and Ichio Kawabata.
The possible Cinderella story of the tournament (or at least one of them) were bounced from the tournament as second placed Division 1 side Westcastle United went up to face Nanaimo’s Division 2 team, with the visitors laying a 9-0 shelling on the hopeful underdogs.
A Joshua Walter hat trick, two from Simon Stacey, and goals from Goteh Ntignee, Keenan Colley, Kayden Minor, and Jonathan Walter saw Westcastle complete their rout with Sachdev Grewal earning the clean sheet.
The final Jackson Cup game of the weekend saw Division 1 leaders Cowichan FC defeat Vic West by score of 4-0 thanks to goals from Craig Gorman, Tyson Black, and a brace from Jesse Winter. Darian Achurch got the clean sheet in the Cowichan goal.
All that action means that the Jackson Cup quarter finals are now set, with the four matches being played on Friday and Saturday this week.
Friday will see the two matches on the right side of the bracket played, with the all-Division 1 clashes between Bays United Liquor Plus and Cowichan FC set to go at 7.15pm at Oak Bay High School, and Gorge FC hosting Lakehill FC on the Hampton Park Turf at 8pm.
Saturday sees the two quarter finals on the other side of the bracket, and both of them will see a Division 1 team go up against a Division 2 underdog. First up is Gorge United’s D2 team hosting Comox Valley United on the Hampton Park Turf at 6pm, then Division 1’s Westcastle United host Division 2 team Powell River Villa at Westhills Stadium at 8pm.
But it wasn’t just Cup action this past weekend, as Division 1 had a couple games to keep teams busy, and standings were changed accordingly.
Besides Cowichan FC and Westcastle United making up a couple of their games in hand, these weekend results altered the standings and have increased the uncertainty of who exactly will qualify from the VISL for this year’s BC Soccer’s Provincial A Cup.
Bays United came up with a big 5-2 win over Mid Isle Mariners to push them up the standings. Justin Donaldson got a brace for Bays, with Jordan Roy, Alex Redpath, and Patrick Nelson also on the scoresheet. Replying for Mid Isle were Ryan Andre and Benjamin Robson.
The other match took place on Sunday between the two teams in the relegation zone, with Comox Valley United defeating Fernwood Town 4-1. Comox goals were from Kyle Bait, Grayson Chalifoux, and a pair from Nick Marinus, while the solo Fernwood goal was scored by Ydrisa Da Silva.
So here are the standings after the last two weeks of getting some makeup games in.
Cowichan opened up a bit of a lead and now need just two points from their last two games to capture their fifth straight Garrison Cup as Division 1 Champions. What happens after that is still up in the air.
Westcastle will finish top four, but there are four other teams within one point – and where they finish and if they qualify for BC Soccer Provincial Cup should go down to the wire and make for some exciting matches in the coming weeks.
And if all that information was not enough, here is an added piece of news that should interest some – the goal scoring race. Patrick Nelson of Bays United leads the way, but one strong game can change things in a hurry.