Royal Pain in the Grass

The Mariners picked up one of a possible six points over a two-game homestand versus Douglas College but remain three points up on the Royals with four games remaining in the regular season.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28: VIU 1 - Douglas 1
Q'unq'inuqwstuxw Stadium, Nanaimo, B.C.

A successful penalty kick from VIU forward Ori Fisher salvaged a 1-1 tie with the Douglas Royals.

The game didn't feature much in the way of flow throughout the first half with teams spending most of their energy throughout the midfield. The Mariners counted three shots on goal to only one for the Royals.

Douglas opened the scoring in the 62nd minute as Luciano Keramen, cutting down the left wing, managed to outwait an onrushing Cody Carter in the VIU net and chipped the ball into the net with his left foot.

VIU began to apply much more pressure and finished the half with 10 shots (two on target). In added time, Michael Heppelle was knocked down by a Royals defender while chasing the ball into the 18-yard-box and the official awarded a penalty kick. Fisher struck the kick to the upper-left, and even though the Royals goalkeeper guessed the right way, the shot had enough pace to deflect up off his hands and into the net.

Ori Fisher launches his penalty kick at the Douglas net while Thomas Greze-Kozuki (L) and Charlie Smith look for a rebound. Photo: Mary Kessenich

Carter went the full 90 minutes in net for VIU and earned the tie.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29: Douglas 1 - VIU 0
Q'unq'inuqwstuxw Stadium, Nanaimo, B.C.

A determined Royals team--desparate for points to stay in the playoff race--were the faster team on Sunday as they held VIU in check on the way to 1-0 win.

The Royals came out flying in the first half launched nine shots (four on target) at Cody Carter in the VIU goal. The Mariners only launched four shots at the Douglas goal, with two of those marked on target.

VIU defender Nathan Torres put in plenty of quality miles at a fast pace in both games against Douglas College. Photo: Mary Kessenich

The visitors scored the only goal of the game in the 79th minute as forward Corwin Shieck ran between two VIU defenders onto an errant back-pass and tapped the ball past Carter as he charged out of his net to cut down the shooting angle. 

The Mariners, who were whistled for 16 fouls in the half, tried to mount a comeback but did not seriously test the Royals goalkeeper.

Up Next

VIU--third place in the PACWEST--holds a three-point lead over the fourth-place Douglas Royals with four games remaining in the season. Only the top three teams in the conference will advance to post-season play.

The Mariners have a massive opportunity to pick up steam in the playoff race as they face a shorthanded Langara side with three key players out with suspensions followed by a rematch with the Douglas Royals.

Saturday, October 5
Due to scheduling conflicts, the VIU men will play Langara College at Terry Fox Field at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, B.C.) at noon. The VIU women will play Langara on Capilano's home field, Lillooet Park, at 1 p.m.

Sunday, October 6
The Mariners and Royals will play their fourth of four regular season matchups at Cunnings Field in Coquitlam. Kickoff for the men is schedule for 2:30 p.m. with the women playing earlier at 12:00 p.m.

Visit the PACWEST website for the season schedule and webstream links.

For more information, contact Matt Carter, VIU Mariners Communications & Sports Information Coordinator.