By: Ted Hill, Black Press, July 21, 09

The Victoria Highlanders finished its first season with a bang, winning its last three games and finally jelling as an elite soccer team.

After defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency 4-0, in front of a jubilant 2,200-plus audience at City Centre Park last Sunday, the Highlanders secured fifth place out of 10 teams in the western conference-northwest division of the USL Premier Development League. 

The Highlanders ended with a 6-6-4 win-loss-tie record, but inconsistent play earlier in the season sunk entry into the playoffs.

“The light turned on a little late,” head coach Colin Miller said after the game. “But I can say the players are fantastic, support for the team is fantastic. Everything about the clan is building for the future. I’m very proud of our players.”

Miller said some of the boys struggled with the level of play demanded in the PDL, learning the hard way that “any mistake is punished quickly.” 

The Highlanders inaugural season started with a win and a series of ties, but the losses halfway through started taking their toll. Forward Patrick Gawrys said it took time for the team to jell and frustration grew as “a few bounces didn’t go our way.”

“At the end of the year we were clicking. In the last weeks we were firing on all cylinders,” Gawrys said. “Next year we will be bigger and better.”

Jordie Hughes, Highlanders’ top scorer with eight goals, agreed it takes time for a new team to find its footing. The crowds, the atmosphere and the squad make him look forward to next year, he said. 

“The end of the season went really well for a first year program,” Hughes said.

Highlanders owner Alex Campbell said it was a hard learning curve for everybody. The sheer number of fans at their first home games was nerve-wracking for the boys, he said, and early on, shots tended to go “high and wide.”  

“We got behind the eight-ball in points,” he said.

But Campbell pointed out the Highlanders could hold their own. They lost a close game on the road to Kitsap Pumas – who Campbell called “violent thugs” – but found redemption in defeating the previously unbeaten Pumas 2-1 in Langford. 

“In the last games the guys came out ready to play,” he said. “That’s really a testament to the players, the coaches and the staff.”

The Highlanders now face a long off-season, but rest isn’t on the schedule. Campbell said he’s planning exhibition matches in upcoming months. Before that, contracts need to be inked for coaches such as Miller and the general manger Drew Finerty.

Finerty said faces on the team could change for next season, depending the level of commitment from the older players. The PDL is a U-23 league which allows eight over-aged players per team. Management is looking at half a dozen older guys that could find space on the roster, he said.

“The character and quality of the athletes (in Victoria) is tremendous, but I think we’ve only scratched the surface,” Finerty said. “What (players) did this year means nothing next year unless they commit to the training program. It will be interesting to see how the older guys respond.”

Finerty said nothing will happen until the coaches and staff are signed on. Miller said he wants return and Finerty said “we are very happy with Colin.” Finerty expects off season training to start mid-September.

The response from fans is overwhelming and beyond expectations, Finerty said. Highlanders home games drew the most people on average than any other team in the division, he said.

“People knew there would be a good level of play, but they didn’t expect the quality that we have from top to bottom,” Finerty said. “We didn’t expect the stomping and cheering and singing. I’m proud the way Victoria has responded to soccer. It’s been tried for 30 years.”

sports@goldstreamgazette.com

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