Matthew Lacy is the Victory Lookout – providing inside coverage of Vancouver Washington’s own soccer club. Watch for his columns on your #HometownSoccer club as they stay #ShipShape for the people of Clark County and beyond!

By Matthew Lacy

VANCOUVER, WA— The Evergreen Premier League just recently announced their schedule for the 2018 season and it is clear that our Vancouver Victory are in for an exciting set of fixtures. The Boys in Blue begin their official run on May 5th at 4 PM here at home against Yakima FC at the Harmony Sport Complex.

Then it will be two fixtures of away games.  The first will be against Washington Premier League FC, formerly known as The Shock, on May 13th.  The second will be on May 19th against last years’ league champions, the Seattle Stars.

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After a bit of a break where the Boys in Blue may see some friendly matches peppered in, we get a four week long home game stretch starting on June 3rd with the Spokane Shadow at 3 PM.  Then, in consecutive weekends, we will battle the Tri-Cities Alliance FC, the Olytown Artesians, and the Seattle Stars again.

Finally, we will end the regular season with a three week away stretch starting on June 30th where the V2FC will face the Artesians again, Bellingham United, and the Olympic Force.

 

A New Season and New Divisional Playoff Format

This year the EPLWA has adopted a new divisional playoff format consisting of the divisions of three teams each.  Our V2FC will face the two other teams in their Coastal Division twice and the three teams in the other two divisions once, yielding a ten game regular season.  At the end of the regular season, the top team in each of the three divisions will go through to the playoffs. An additional wild card team will also go through, determined by the next highest team on the league table that is not a divisional champion.

What Excites Me About the 2018 Season Schedule

1. We get to open the season at home.  That alone is enough to get me giddy. However, it happens to be against Yakima FC, nicknamed “The Hoppers.”  They are a stronger side than their almost bottom of the table finish last season suggests and it will be a good test of our Boys in Blue before they hit the road for the next two weeks.

2. June.  Four weeks and four home games, this is the heart of our season where we are likely to pick up the bulk of our points.  It will also be the optimal time to get into a strong team rhythm that could carry us through the final three away games to lock up a spot in the playoffs.

3. Away Day Adventures.  I love trekking off to away games, but there are two this season that have me breaking out my maps and planning accompanying excursions for me and my family.

Oly Town Artesians on June 30th.  This will be their second season in the EPLWA and they look to have built quite a culture in a short amount of time around their home squad.  This also happens to be the closest away game of the season so I hope that there will be a good amount of travelling V2FC supporters. Plus, our state capitol is a cool place with a lot of family fun to offer.

Bellingham United on July 8th.  The Hammers seem to be the darling club of the EPLWA, in spite of never earning a league championship.  They are the closest to league headquarters, have a consistently strong squad, draws some of the highest crowds, have a vibrant supporters section including a fella who answers to Hooligan Ron, and is the only stadium in the league to boast a beer garden.  Plus, Bellingham is a beautiful college town offering up some memorable family adventures.