Rich Fast remembers his first Vancouver Island Soccer League Division 1 won-lost record as a player with Bays United 鈥� a miserable and humbling 1-15-2.
That was 18 years ago.
The Bays completed a nearly two-decade climb to the top Sunday afternoon by claiming the club鈥檚 first Jackson Cup title for VISL supremacy with a 2-0 victory over the upstart 12th-seed Lakhehill Reds of Division 2 at Royal Athletic Park.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been 18 years of chasing a dream,鈥� said Fast, who played 13 years for the Bays before becoming head coach the past five.
鈥淚 wish all the past Bays players could be here to join in and experience this moment.鈥�
The Jackson Cup, competed for since 1914, has been won by World Cup players George Pakos and Jamie Lowery and such other multi-capped Canadian national team stars as Bob Bolitho and Brian Robinson.
But no Bays United player had ever claimed the mantle.
Until Sunday.
The Bays reached the final twice before, losing 2-1 last year to Cowichan FC and 2-0 to the then Gorge FC dynasty in 2006. This year the Bays left no doubt, going on a 5-0 run through the Cup brackets while outscoring their opponents 20-0.
Throw in the club鈥檚 15-1 regular season record, and this is finally the year of the Bays 鈥� even if Fast had to reach outside the organization to accomplish the Cup run with an off-season recruiting drive that filled key holes.
Greg Fiddick of the Bays was named MVP of the championship game. It was the former NCAA University of Denver midfielder鈥檚 fourth Jackson Cup championship after two titles with Vantreights and one with Gorge FC.
鈥淲e have high expectations as a group,鈥� said Fiddick, a 28-year-old Stelly鈥檚 grad, who scored the winning goal Sunday.
The insurance tally came from offensive-minded defender Paul VandenBoomen, who captured his fifth Jackson Cup title to go with the four he won with Gorge FC.
鈥淚t was bit weird at first [putting on a Bays jersey] after having played for Gorge for so long,鈥� admitted the 29-year-old VandenBoomen.
鈥淏ut this is why I came here 鈥� to play in more big games and win more trophies.鈥�
Mission accomplished.
But the Jackson Cup is only the first step. Two remaining games for the Bays against third-place Saanich Fusion will decide the league regular-season champion from among the Bays, Fusion and Cowichan. Bays, Fusion, Cowichan and Lakehill also have qualified for the Province Cup playdowns, with the added bonus being this year鈥檚 sa国际传媒 championship game is scheduled for May 11 at Westhills Stadium in Langford.
The 2013 Province Cup draw will be held April 2 at the Strathcona Hotel, with former Vancouver Whitecaps pro and national team 1986 World Cup veteran Carl Valentine pulling out the slips of paper to decide the bracket match-ups.
鈥淚 feel we have a good shot at winning it [Province Cup],鈥� said Fiddick.
鈥淗aving the sa国际传媒 final in Victoria this year, I like our chances even more.鈥�
VandenBoomen has won two sa国际传媒 titles with Gorge FC but rates this Bays team right up there with those clubs.
鈥淲e are very dynamic moving up-field and have such dangerous attackers,鈥� he said.
CORNER KICKS: The Island George Smith Cup Under-21 final, which preceded the Jackson Cup final Sunday at RAP, went to the Mid-Island Highlanders 3-2 in overtime against Westcastle United.
