By Dan Marshall

The Mid-Isle Mariners will be a young team in transition during this PCSL season

May 11, 2017 | 1:46 PM

NANAIMO — The Pacific Coast Soccer League season is just around the corner for the Mid-Isle Mariners.
 
In fact the season was supposed to start this weekend with an all island match up against the Victoria Highlanders, but that game has been postponed.
 
Mid-Isle is scheduled to visit Vancouver on May 27, but a make up game with the Highlanders may happen before then.  
 
Once the season does start the Mariners will have the summer soccer spotlight for the next three months.
 
There are no other high level soccer leagues that play in the summer months in Nanaimo, so that opens room for present and future VIU soccer players to be part of the squad.
 
Last season for example VIU’s Victor Blasco led the team in goal scoring with six goals, which was tied for third in the PCSL.
 
It was a very strong season for Mid-Isle with a 6-2-2 regular season and a trip to the championship game.
 
The Mariners lost 4-1 in the 2016 final, and team manager Bill Merriman says 2017 will be a year of transition.
 
“We’re going to have a younger team,” said Merriman. “We’ll have some older players but more younger players in more of a development year. We’ll have our bumps sometimes along the road but I think it’s going to be great for the players.”
 
Some of those young players may be a part of the VIU team as well when Pacwest training camp opens in August, but Merriman says the 2017 PCSL squad is so young some of his players are still another year away from playing for the university.
 
The seven team Pacific Coast Soccer League begins next Wednesday with Port Moody taking on Vancouver.
 
Mid-Isle will play a 12 game schedule with all of the home games at the Ladysmith turf field.