It is the Vancouver Island Soccer League’s version of Friday Night Lights tomorrow when the 2022-23 Div. 1 season opens at 8 p.m. at Braefoot Park with the marquee match-up between defending Garrison Cup regular-season champion Lakehill and defending Jackson Cup-champion Nanaimo United in what is being billed the Cup Winners Cup.
It begins a season in which the VISL will, no doubt, get its share of mentions this fall as pundits look back to its outsize contribution of three players to the 1986 Canadian squad as the 2022 national team ends the 36-year World Cup drought in November in Qatar.
“Ian Bridge is a former Lakehill player who was in the 1986 World Cup and the club is proud of that,” said Lakehill head coach Mark Bhopal.
Not that the current batch is too bad, either, as they have become a recent league power under Bhopal in winning two consecutive VISL regular-season championships and going 18-1-1 last season.
“Lakehill is on the map, we have a special thing going on, but it was a lot of hard work getting to this point,” said Bhopal, in his eighth season at the helm.
“We have high hopes for this season.”
Lakehill is again loaded with former University of Victoria Vikes stars Craig Gorman, Jack Hill, Wes Barrett, Tarnvir Bhandal and 2019 Canada West MVP Isaac Koch. Throw in crafty former overseas pros Blair Sturrock and Cedric Aba, the latter an addition from Westcastle. The biggest addition to the Lakehill arsenal, however, is former Vikes player and current VISL scoring-machine Paddy Nelson.
“Paddy is a guy who has won league MVP and scoring titles and is such a smart player,” said Bhopal.
“We have a good cast of returning players and additions.”
Arsenal is indeed the key word for this group, and an apt one, as the Lakehill club adopted the Gunners colours and logo (but with the cannon pointed in the opposite direction) when founded in 1956.
“We are a side that plays attacking soccer,” said Bhopal.
With dynamic offensive players such as Koch, Gorman, Hill, Sturrock and Nelson to match that style.
But the successes of the regular season have so far eluded Lakehill in the Jackson Cup and Province Cup. Lakehill was eliminated in the Jackson Cup playdowns last spring by eventual-champion Nanaimo United, making Friday night’s opening clash so compelling, and also failed to make headway in the Province Cup.
“We have been very consistent in league play, but Cup play is a different brand and very tricky, and how far you go in it depends on a lot of factors, including injures,” added Bhopal.
“Hopefully, we will approach things differently this season when it comes time for Cup play.”
In other VISL Div. 1 season openers Friday night, Vic West meets Bays United Liquor Plus at 8 p.m. at Fred Milne Park and Cowichan FC hosts Gorge FC at 7:30 p.m. at Sherman Road in Duncan. Saturday sees the Westcastle Lakers travel to Powell River to meet Villa and the Victoria Highlanders in Comox to play Valley United.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
