Highlanders Second Team Hits The Road For Weekend Matches

(Photo Credit: David Martin)

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Highlanders Second Team, coming off a 3-1 win against Mid Isle Mariners, will play two matches this weekend over on the mainland in Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL) competition. First, they will visit Surrey United on Saturday, May 25 at Cloverdale Athletic Park #5 with a 4:00 p.m. kickoff. They will then travel to Vancouver to square off against FC Tigers Vancouver on Sunday, May 26 at Point Grey Turf with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

The squad is coming off a 3-1 win over Mid Isle Mariners last weekend.  Owen Stewart, with the first goal of the game, and Adoubacar Cisse, who recorded a brace, provided the offence for the home side. Head coach Nico Craveiro was pleased with what he saw their PCSL home opener.

“It is a great way to start the season. We made many changes and all 17 players played at least a half,” stated head coach Nico Craveiro. “We need players to start playing more together and we will only become better in time. There are things we need to work on but overall that is a good way to kick off the season. Joey Seo and Rees Gertzen played a very good 90 minutes in the back line and the younger players did well throughout the field.”

The Highlanders Second Team will take on Surrey United and FC Tigers Vancouver over the course of two days. The first match, being played this afternoon, will feature two teams coming off impressive wins in their season debuts. Surrey United also won their first match of the season, besting Kamloops Wolfpack by a 2-0 score from a Marco Visintin brace.

The second match of the weekend, Sunday afternoon in Vancouver, will be against a Vancouver side that opened their season with a 1-1 draw against Khalsa Sporting Club. The Tigers received their lone goal of the game courtesy Lucas Borejszo.  

While they may be two of the newer clubs in the PCSL, head coach Craveiro is expecting a pair of competitive matches that will test the young Highlanders squad.

“They are new to the league, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t quality teams with high end skill,” added Craveiro. “We expect both teams to push us and try and control the tempo of play. Last week showed me that our squad is ready to challenge again this year. The mix of veteran and youth players we have will help us in the challenge of playing two matches in two days as we can rotate players and keep them fresh.”

The Highlanders Second team will play out of UVic Grass Field #4 as their home field for the 2019 PCSL season. For more information on the PCSL, and the Highlanders’ schedule, head to www.pcsl.org