Salt Spring soccer teams get mixed results in matches with Cowichan
Salt Spring FC players found Cowichan United to be an accommodating opponent last Saturday when the hosting Vancouver Island team agreed to switch the match to Salt Spring after its home turf was closed.
Cowichan may have been regretting its good nature when Ciaran Ayton opened the scoring.
“We started out well,” team spokesperson and player Jordon Morrison explained in a post game report.
“Zoltan Kodaly played a ball down the line for Jeremy Morrison, who then found Ayton wide open at the penalty spot. He took his time and made no mistake putting it into the bottom corner of the net.”
SSFC entertained a few chances to increase its lead but couldn’t finish, which cost the team before the half. Cowichan played a free kick long and tied it up at 1-1.
Coming out in the second half, Morrison said both sides had chances while SSFC keeper Joe Akerman worked hard to keep the game tied.
“We finally got the breakthrough on a long ball played to Jeremy Morrison who latched onto it and beat the keeper with a good low hard shot. Once we got that we sort of soaked up the pressure and ran the clock out.”
The Salt Spring Old Boys were also contending with Cowichan players last weekend in a bout against the Cowichan Masters, a team Old Boys spokesman Richard Steel says boasts a few of the league’s most skilled players.
“So it was no surprise when Cowichan went ahead when their striker produced a sublime piece of skill to shoot powerfully past Henry Braak in the Old Boys goal,” he said.
Steel equalized the match on a free kick, and the game continued on even ground until the Old Boys defence subbed off en masse, leaving the goal exposed.
“This was too much for the Cowichan strikers to pass up, who scored twice in quick succession to go into half time 3-1 ahead,” Steel said.
After a long push to come back from behind, Steel scored again with two minutes remaining, setting up a frantic finale as the Old Boys searched for an equalizer that unfortunately never came.
“Henry Braak had an outstanding game in goal for the Old Boys,” Steel said. “He did everything right, including pulling off the best penalty save I have seen in years.”
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