The intrinsic unpredictability of one-game playoffs makes events such as soccer cup competitions rife with upset possibilities. An occasional giant killer is almost inevitable in a format in which every team, no matter how lowly, starts out with a chance in a random draw.
Higher-ranked squads have been littered and left for dead by lower-ranked teams along the road to the 2016 Vancouver Island Soccer League鈥檚 Jackson Cup, which has reached the quarter-final round this week with Cinderella carriages converging.
Prospect Lake from Division 2 has survived to play the 2015 Jackson Cup-finalist Saanich Fusion tonight at 7 on the Tyndall turf. Another Division 2 upstart, Nanaimo United, has slid through to meet perennial Division 1 contender Bays United Liquor Plus tonight at 8 on the UVic turf fields.
Regular-season champion and defending Jackson Cup champion Cowichan FC has perhaps the toughest quarter-final matchup, tonight at 7 at Sherman Road in Duncan, against a tough fellow Division 1 team in Nanaimo.
But the storyline of the Jackson Cup campaign so far has been provided by Westcastle United. The Westshore-based Division 1 club is facing relegation to Division 2 for next season after a second-to-last-place finish in the regular season. But Westcastle United is not going down without a final burst of glory, having scored an upset run to a Jackson Cup quarter-final date against Lakehill on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Braefoot Park.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite a run we鈥檝e had. It鈥檚 been exciting,鈥� said Westcastle head coach Scott Strickland
How unlikely has Westcastle鈥檚 roll been in the Jackson Cup? Consider that it finished 4-13-1 in the regular season and lost its last regular-season game 5-0 to Vic West.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 even have a goalkeeper and had to pull up U-21 goalies,鈥� added Strickland.
鈥淲e had to put a position player in goal in our last Jackson Cup game [a 1-0 victory over a rising Comox Valley United squad last weekend].鈥�
Minutes before the start of the game against Comox Valley, the Westcastle squad had only 10 men. A player, who was working at the time, had to be hurriedly picked up and driven across town to the game at Finlayson Field and he arrived just at kick-off.
鈥淚 thought, oh no, it鈥檚 going to be a double-digit game for Comox,鈥� said Strickland.
鈥淲e鈥檙e lucky the game was delayed 35 minutes by a women鈥檚 game ahead of us on the field that went to overtime and penalty kicks.鈥�
But Jon Shaw struck against the flow for Westcastle in the first half 鈥渁nd then we parked the bus in front of our net,鈥� added Strickland.
That鈥檚 the kind of serendipity of which upset cup runs are made.
That particular Sweet 16 matchup was interesting because Westcastle United and Comox Valley United both came up together two years ago through promotion from Division 2 as youthful teams of much promise.
Comox Valley United has lived up to it and was second only behind Cowichan FC this regular season at 12-3-3. Westcastle also at first was an encouraging 8-9-1 last season before dipping dramatically this regular season.
VISL executive director Vince Greco said there is still a chance Westcastle can avoid relegation because the Division 2 second-place finisher has the option of refusing promotion to Division 1.
鈥淪hould the Division 2 second-place team decline to move up, the third-place place team will be offered an opportunity to challenge Westcastle to a promotion-relegation match,鈥� explained Greco.
Wherever they play next season, Westcastle is hoping to again find that promise.
鈥淲e are absolutely looking to rally and have a strong season next year,鈥� said Strickland.
But before that, there鈥檚 still a chance this year to see if the glass slipper fits.
Two of Westcastle鈥檚 four regular-season victories came against Lakehill, so Saturday鈥檚 Jackson Cup quarter-final matchup couldn鈥檛 be better for the lads from the Westshore. Lakehill, meanwhile, is having a surprising run of its own in the Jackson Cup following a season hampered by injuries to key players. Division 1 last-place Lakehill has officially been relegated to Division 2 and will be replaced in Division 1 next season by the promoted Division 2 champion Campbell River Cermaq Wave.
鈥淲e鈥檝e beaten Lakehill twice this season, but at the half-way point, they added five or six UVic Vikes players,鈥� added Strickland. 鈥淭his game could go either way.鈥�
Following this week鈥檚 quarter-final round, the Jackson Cup semifinals are in two weeks. The 101st Jackson Cup final is April 3 at Royal Athletic Park.
