One point slipped away from Powell River Villa in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday, February 10. Nanaimo United was awarded a penalty kick in the 90th minute of a tied Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) match, which was successfully converted for a win, and more importantly, three points in Division 1 standings.
“It was pretty frustrating to lose on a late penalty, especially since we were leading for most of the game,” said Villa manager Chris McDonough.
James Timothy (four minutes) and Jacob Duyvesteyn (18 minutes) gave Villa a 2-0 lead, but the home team equalized shortly thereafter with goals at 20 and 24 minutes. Vasilios Bagiopoulos restored a lead 11 minutes later, putting the visitors ahead 3-2 heading into the second half of play.
Nanaimo drew even at the 69-minute mark, then sealed the 4-3 win with the last minute penalty. The three points moved Nanaimo into a fifth place tie with Cowichan Axis (21 points each) in Division 1, nine ahead of ninth place Villa.
“Our focus now turns to the Jackson Cup, playing our first game at home in three months this Saturday,” said McDonough.
Villa hosts VISL Division II squad Gorge United in a round of 16 match on February 17 (1:30 pm) before resuming league play in March.
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