Vic West (9-2-3) has played with flair to earn the second seed into this weekend’s 2017 Jackson Cup first round and have beaten top-ranked Cowichan FC 5-2 this season in league play.
“We are playing attractive football, a position game with good technique, and we like to knock the ball around,” said first-year Vic West coach Stefan Fletcher, who has had many years of guiding Metro youth teams.
“We came in this season with a project . . . that of doing something different [in terms of style]. It has been getting results.”
So much so that Vic West — which went into a low era following its heyday run of six B.C. titles and four Canadian championships from 1976 to 1984 — continues its recent resurgence behind leading Cowichan (11-2).
The Wests are led by veterans Bryan Taylor and Riley O’Neill, the latter a former NCAA University of Kentucky Wildcats standout and FIFA Under-20 World Cup player for Canada, who played pro in the Finnish Premiership.
“[O’Neill] has been very influential on our younger players,” said Fletcher.
Vic West received a big boost this week with the addition of former J-League pro Sho Goto, who will also play for the Victoria Highlanders of the PDL this summer.
The Jackson Cup, in its 102nd year, is contested annually by the Division 1 and 2 teams of the VISL.
Cowichan FC has been the dominant team of the recent era, with four Jackson Cup titles in the past seven years and six championship game appearances in that span. They are again favoured, opening at home Saturday at 5 p.m. on Sherman Road against No. 9 Comox Valley United.
“The key to our success is depth. That sets us apart. We have 20 guys on our roster with the quality to start and play,” said Cowichan veteran defender Tyler Hughes.
“We have a good mix of veterans and younger players who are hungry,” added Hughes, an NCAA Coastal Carolina sports hall-of-famer and former USL and Swedish league pro.
That depth is evident in that Cowichan Div. 2 has also been cleaning up this season, making its first-round Jackson Cup matchup Saturday against Vic West at 7 p.m. at UVic, no sure thing for the Div. 1 Wests.
The team many are pointing to as the darkhorse in the 2017 Jackson Cup is the youthful V.I. Wave. Top players Sam Fletcher and Josh Lamothe co-captained the Reynolds Roadrunners to the B.C. triple-A high school title this season with both headed to U Sports next season, Fletcher to the UBC Thunderbirds and Lamothe to the UVic Vikes The Wave are 7-7 but have won three consecutive games in VISL league play.
“The Wave are a very dangerous team right now,” said Vic West coach Stefan Fletcher, father of Wave star Sam Fletcher.
The Wave play third-seed Bays United in a marquee first-round Jackson Cup matchup Saturday at 2:15 p.m. at Oak Bay High School
In other opening round Cup games, No. 10 Saanich Fusion meets No. 4 Gorge FC tonight at 7 at Tyndall Field, No. 12 Vantreights is at No. 8 Campbell River on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Robron Turf, and No. 7 Lakehill hosts No. 17 Nanaimo United of Div. 2 at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday at Braefoot.
The No. 16 Prospect Lakers defeated No. 14 Westcastle United 1-0 in a play-in game to advance to meet No. 18 Fred Milne Rangers of Div. 2 tonight at 7:15 at The Log in Sooke. In another all-Div. 2 play-in game late Thursday at Finlayson Park, Lakehill United played the Vic West Casuals. The winner advances to meet No. 5 Nanaimo United on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merle Logan Field.
The Jackson Cup quarter-finals are scheduled for March 3-5, semifinals March 17-19 and the final April 2 at Royal Athletic Park.
