Powell River Villa SC opened the 2018/2019 Vancouver Island Soccer League season in a tougher Division 2 with a 1-0 home win over last year’s division winners Victoria Lakehill.
In the final minutes of the game at Timberlane Park on Saturday, September 15, Lakehill went down a player due to a red card at about the 10-minute mark of the game after twice crashing into Villa goaltender Matt Liknes.
“Their player getting sent off opened things up for us and we took advantage,” said Villa coach Chris McDonough.
In the dying minutes of the second half, defender Brandon Rairie touched enough of the ball to slip it by Lakehill’s goalkeeper.
“He got a piece of it and the defender couldn’t quite clear it off the line,” said team captain Kye Taylor.
McDonough said his team was defensively sound in a game that went back and forth not looking like either side was going to score.
“We kept ourselves in the game, had a few opportunities at the end and made one count,” said McDonough. “In the second division this is going to be how a lot of games go, very tight and not a lot separating the teams.”
Playing against Lakehill was a good test for a Villa club that won Division 3A last year and earned promotion to Division 2. Taylor said he thinks Villa can hold its own.
“If they're at the top it tells us we can compete with anybody,” he added, calling the start at home a solid win.
Taylor can be a game-changer when healthy but has been troubled with injuries for the last two years and hopes to return to full form. He wears a head guard after being concussed last year.
On Saturday, Taylor was playing his signature aggressive style.
“I felt more informed than I have to start seasons and some of the nagging injuries are hopefully dealt with for now,” he said.
Summer training does not fully prepare a player for the 18-game, six-month schedule ahead, and it showed with exhausted players on both sides.
Villa’s next game is at home against JDF All Flows, a team that played as Juan de Fuca last season. Game time is 1:30 pm at Timberlane Park.
