Debutant Niverville Force will avoid Division 1 relegation
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By any measure, it’s been a successful first few years for the Niverville Force. Since their founding in 2021, the team has earned promotion from division four of the Manitoba Major Soccer League (MMSL) all the way up to division one, just a step below the top-tier Premier Division.
The team hasn’t looked out of place in their first season in division one, racking up 24 points across 14 games. With four matches remaining, the team is sitting comfortably above relegation and will remain as a first division team next year.
Niverville appeared to out-class CSSE Juventus in a 2-0 win Aug. 19 in Niverville, dominating possession against an undermanned Juventus squad. The visitors only brought 11 players to the match and were unable to substitute throughout the game.
“The first half we had so many chances, the second half we redeemed ourselves and we finally finished off,” head coach Walt McKee said.
“I was very happy about that. We just have to learn to finish off.”
Both goals came from the boot of Jeffrey Dueck and his first was a thing of beauty. Dueck hit a half volley from outside the box which neatly slotted into the top of the net, past the outstretched arms of the Juventus keeper.
“The goal that (Dueck) scored was fantastic,” McKee said.
“It got us going, it just lifted the team a little bit. We needed that, it came at the right time.”
Dueck added a tap-in for his second of the match after a nice cross left him one on one with the goaltender, which he calmly beat despite the visitor’s calls for offside.
The Force have been within striking distance of a promotion spot all season, and are a couple losses out of battling for the final spot in the premier division. Although that dream seems to be out of reach, McKee is happy with the team’s performance this season.
“We’re kind of where we thought we would be,” McKee said.
“The guys are working hard. Some of the teams we should have beat, we didn’t beat. Some of the teams we shouldn’t have beat, we did beat.”
The Force have played with structure this season, and got off to a hot start thanks to some good early season performances. While they were in tough against the top-ranked Winkler Storm, Niverville split games with second-place Winnipeg FC.
“Every time you go into a new division, it’s going to be tough, because you don’t know what to expect,” McKee said.
“I think the guys have responded very well to that. It’s because we have a system of play we try to impress upon the players.”
Niverville still has an outside chance at promotion, with a maximum point total of 36. Winnipeg FC has three games remaining and are at 29 points in second place. They’ll also need to leapfrog Lucania United FC2 and Galacticos FC, which are both sitting at 28 points.
“I think we’ll just keep plugging it out until the end of the season,” McKee said.
“Our goal is always to win every game. We’ve had chances.”
To earn promotion to the next division, McKee said the team will need to improve their finishing. While Niverville can create plenty of chances, actually putting the ball in the back of the net has proved difficult at times this season. The team only has scored 37 goals so far this season.
The Force have one more home game this season, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m. against Lucania.
While Niverville has enjoyed their season in the first division, it’s been another story for Hanover, although they’re still holding out hope they can pull out a miracle to escape relegation.
With three games remaining on their schedule, the Kickers are seven points back of Juventus for the final safe spot in the league, as results from their match against third-place Galacticos FC Aug. 20 were not reported on the league’s website.
Despite stronger performances of late, the team is in tough thanks to the schedule, heading out to play top-ranked Winkler Aug. 25.
A match-up between the rival Force and Kickers Aug. 29 in Steinbach could be critical, with the Kickers hoping their final game of the season against AK Academy will be meaningful.
In other leagues across the province, the division five Hanover United are sitting in the middle of the table with a 5-5-3 record. United will play one more home match this season on Aug. 25 when they take on Benchwarmers United. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The fourth division has an incredible log jam at the top of the standings, as six of the league’s ten teams are within four points of first place. While Landmark FC is off the pace near the bottom of the standings, the Hanover Strikers are sitting in first after a 4-1 win against Southside FC.
The Strikers will play one more home game this season, taking on Moose FC Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
The third division of the MMSL is split into two groups this season, with the Hanover Sting sitting in a tie for second in their group after a 2-2 draw with Bandits FC Aug. 19. The Sting have no more home games left to play this season.