Vancouver Island University’s soccer teams marked their return to their home field with two big wins in the standings.
The VIU Mariners men and women both defeated the Capilano Blues on Saturday at Mariner Field in Pacific Western Athletic Association action. The women won by a 2-1 score in the early game, then the men shut out Cap 3-0.
The victory for the Mariner men was key, as it allowed the defending national champions to clinch first place in PacWest with two games still to play in the regular season.
Jared Stephens scored the game’s first goal, chipping the keeper from just outside the 18-yard box 25 minutes into the game.
Dan Cato and A.J. Kambere added second-half goals and Dan Mercer made some good saves to preserve his fourth shutout of the season.
In the women’s game, Jolene Nagy scored just five minutes into the game and M’s keeper Shelby Walker made two key saves early in the second half to preserve her team’s lead. Ashlee Allbury made it 2-0 in the 70th minute on a header that ended up being the game-winning goal.
"The win gives us a bit of cushion in the standings but there's still a long way to go," said Anup Kang, coach of the women's team, in a press release. "Our team is rising to the occasion and we look forward to two tough games next weekend."
GAME ON … VIU’s teams host UBC-Okanagan on Saturday (Oct. 22) and Thompson Rivers on Sunday at Mariner Field. The women play at noon Saturday; the men at 2 p.m. Sunday’s game times are also at noon and 2 p.m.