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Comox Valley United looking to finish strong

VISL Div. 2 men's soccer team pursuing promotion to Div. 1

First place is now out of reach, but Comox Valley United has the inside track on securing second place and earning promotion to Div. 1 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League.

The top two teams in Div. 2 move up at the end of the season, and Saanich Fusion nailed down first place on Feb. 1 with a 1-1 tie against Vic West.

United was home to Prospect Lake  on Saturday, where they posted a convincing 4-0 win. Mack Zirkl recorded his division-best eighth shutout while Darren Bergh and Nick Marinus both tallied their seventh goals of the season. Luke Phye and Graeme McNeill had the other Comox Valley markers.

Third-place Westcastle had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Gorge, leaving them three points back of United and also with two games left to play.

Comox Valley is away to Saanich this Saturday then closes out the season with a make-up game against 10th-place Prospect Lake (date TBA).

Westcastle plays Vic West and Cowichan – who are tied for eighth place – in their last two games.

Making things more interesting is the fact Saanich already has a Div. 1 team, and if they decide not to take promotion then the second- and third-place teams in Div. 2 would move up.

If United and Westcastle end up tied, positioning will be decided on goal differential. The teams are dead even at +18: United with 29 goals for and 11 goals against while Westcastle has 36 GF and 18 GA.

While the math may look complicated on paper, the game is played on the pitch, and a United spokesperson says the team is determined to finish strong – and alone in second place.

"Remember, we came up from Div. 3 last year," the spokesperson noted.