鈥淭he Province Cup is the natural progress,鈥� said veteran Cowichan FC back-line pillar and playing assistant-coach Tyler Hughes.
鈥淭his is why all these players have come from Victoria and Nanaimo to play for us. They want to win the Province Cup. It鈥檚 our No. 1 goal.鈥�
Among those drawn to the magnet allure of Cowichan FC have been former Saanich Fusion standout strikers Cooper Barry and VISL MVP and leading-scorer Paddy Nelson, along with former Sooke star Steve Scott and dangerous UVic Vikes graduate Craig Gorman.
There hasn鈥檛 been a Province Cup champion from the Island since Gorge FC won four sa国际传媒 titles between 2001 and 2010.
鈥淭his is the best opportunity we鈥檝e had,鈥� said Hughes, the former USL and Sweden pro, and NCAA Div. 1 star and Coastal Carolina Hall of Famer.
Cowichan has lost only once in league or Jackson Cup play this season. As a sa国际传媒 seeded team, Cowichan is guaranteed to play all its Province Cup games at home. It also doesn鈥檛 hurt that the 2016 men鈥檚 Province Cup final is May 14 at Westhills Stadium and the women鈥檚 sa国际传媒 final also at the Langford facility May 15.
鈥淲e鈥檝e set ourselves up well. We don鈥檛 have to leave the Island,鈥� said Hughes.
Cowichan has drawn an Island derby for its opening-round game in the Sweet Sixteen, meeting Bays United Liquor Plus in the Saturday fixture at 4 p.m. on the Sherman Road turf field in Duncan.
It鈥檚 like Man U and Man City, or Liverpool and Everton, looking across at each other and saying oh, no, not again. Cowichan FC defeated Bays United 2-0 on overtime goals by Barry and Nelson in the 2016 Jackson Cup final April 3 at Royal Athletic Park.
鈥淵ou always want to face a Lower Mainland or Fraser Valley team you don鈥檛 always see,鈥� said Hughes, about the quirk of fate the draw has dealt Cowichan and Bays.
鈥淲e鈥檝e played Bays enough and are quite familiar with each other. We know what to expect. Bays is a very aggressive team that comes at you hard out of the gate. We have to be disciplined and match their energy because we know they like to apply pressure early to get goals.鈥�
The Bays feature Tyler鈥檚 brother and veteran star striker Jordie Hughes. The two have played together during the summers on the Victoria Highlanders in the PDL. There are no secrets in this derby.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the soccer gods speaking,鈥� said a near-disbelieving Bays United head coach Rich Fast, after his opening-round Province Cup opponent was announced during the draw.
鈥淪o, bring 鈥檈m [Cowichan FC] on. Let鈥檚 do it.鈥�
Fast said taking Cowichan FC to overtime in the Jackson Cup final gives his side belief that the upset is there for the taking: 鈥淲e gave them 120 minutes of decent soccer in the Jackson Cup. We just have to match their organization and fitness. Hopefully, it will be a different result this time.鈥�
But Bays are facing a Cowichan side totally committed to this project.
鈥淭here is one big thing we have to do and it鈥檚 the Province Cup,鈥� said Hughes.
鈥淥ur practices are more intense than some of the games we鈥檝e played this year. But we are not looking too far ahead. We are focused on what鈥檚 next.鈥�
And that鈥檚 facing a familiar old foe Saturday in Duncan.
Saanich Fusion Maude Hunters and Nanaimo United were also drawn into an all-Island opening-round Province Cup matchup, with the game to be played Saturday at 7 p.m. at Tyndall Field.
Meanwhile, the promising young Comox Valley United team will continue to gain valuable experience for the years ahead by travelling to meet powerhouse Pegasus FC on Saturday afternoon in Surrey.
The seeded teams are Cowichan FC, Pegasus FC, Langley United and Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves.
Island derbies are also a curious feature of the 2016 Province Cup women鈥檚 draw. The Price Cup Lower Island-champion Castaways Highlanders have received a first-round bye and are guaranteed to play an Island team in the second round next week. The Castaways Highlanders will face the winner of the Victoria Athletics versus Saanich Fusion FC United first-round game that takes place Sunday at 12:15 p.m. at Braefoot Park.
The 2016 Price Cup runner-up and annual Province Cup contender Prospect Lake also drew a first-round bye. So did its second-round opponent, Coquitlam Metro Ford Xtreme. The Lakers versus Xtreme game will be hosted by Prospect Lake on a date to be determined.
Twitter.com/tc_vicsports
