Hanover Kickers find the win column in MMSL Division 1

The Hanover Kickers have finally added a tally into the win column.

The Manitoba Major Soccer League season is off to a slow start, at least in terms of games played, for the region’s top team, with a pair of rain-outs meaning the team had played just three games as of June 22.

The Kickers picked up a solid result in their fourth game of the season, erasing a loss in their first match of the season to Sher-E-Punjab FC with a 3-2 win in the return match June 22 at the Steinbach Soccer Park.

“We knew this team, they will give us a run for our money, so we had to be on our ‘A’ game,” Kickers head coach Andreas Bergen said.

“Our first game we were a little rusty. We had to make sure we got this one right. This is our home turf. We want to win at home for our fans, for our sponsors, for everything.”

A pair of first half mistakes from Sher-E-Punjab were costly for the visitors. With the game tied 1-1, a cross was mishandled by the goalkeeper, leaving a tap in for the Kickers to convert.

After Sher-E-Punjab found the equalizer through a counter-attack, they conceded another goal after sloppy defending. A defender hesitated on a long throw that was nowhere near a Hanover attacker, only for the ball to bounce right over his head and fall to the foot of a Kickers player for what turned out to be the winning goal.

“Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t,” Bergen, who was wearing a Team Canada jersey during the match said.

“There’s only so much you can prepare for… Sometimes you have to take what is given to you.”

No goals were scored in the second half, as both teams went down to 10 men following two red cards given out after a confrontation between two players.

Bergen said he’s seen good signs from the Kickers through the first four games. Most of the players who helped the team earn promotion back to Division 1 in the MMSL are back, with a boost from players transferring from the now-folded Niverville Force team.

“We want to compete as much as we can,” Bergen said.

“I think we have the tools, we have the players, it’s now just getting it done on the grass.”

Many players from Niverville are now playing at different clubs across the MMSL. Nate Martin, who suited up for the Force after playing with the Providence Pilots in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference, was in action June 22 in Steinbach for Sher-E-Punjab.

Bergen said the team is hoping for a solid finish in the eight-team Division 1 of the MMSL. The league’s top division is the Premier Division, one level higher.

The match against Sher-E-Punjab served as the Kickers home opener, with the momentum of more fans attending games from last season continuing into 2027.

“We’re always grateful for fans to come out and support us,” Bergen said.

“It means a lot when fans come out. It gives you a little bit of an extra boost when you see fans on the sidelines.”

The Kickers will next be in action in Steinbach June 29. Re-scheduled games from earlier this season will be played July 12 and 17.