Red hot Kickers stop all comers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2016 (3332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Hanover Kickers just keep rising to the challenge week after week.

Last Monday in Steinbach, and for the fourth week in a row, the streaking Kickers scored their most important victory of the season as they edged Waverley Mitsubishi 3-2 as the Kickers solidified their hold on first place in the Manitoba Major Soccer League’s First Division.

It was Waverley Mitsubishi’s first loss of the season.

Richie Rundle, a scoring machine for the Kickers this season, scored all three goals for the Kickers.

Rundle opened the scoring for the Kickers in the opening minutes of the game as he connected on a pass from Mitchell Martens.

Hanover still led 1-0 at the half, before Rundle, on a penalty kick early in the second half, restored the Hanover lead. But just two minutes later Waverley tied it again on a penalty kick. Rundle notched the winner, his third of game, with about 10 minutes remaining.

“We have the best attack in the league and it showed again in this win,” said player/coach Andry Giesbrecht, “we are gelling, really coming together as a team. And in goal, Chris Giesbrecht had a fantastic game for us.”

“That’s four wins in a row against our four toughest opponents,” added Andry Giesbrecht. In their three previous games the Kickers edged World Soccer Academy 4-3, defeated Scotia United 2-1 and were 3-2 winners over FC Internazionale.

The Kickers lead the division with 24 points in 11 games on seven wins, three ties and only a single loss. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a tie.

Although the Kickers have opened up a seven-point lead over Waverley Mitsubishi and are eight points ahead of Scotia United and World Soccer Academy, those three teams all have two or three games in hand on the Kickers, so are still within striking distance.

“That win over Waverley Mitsubishi was a six-point game for us,” said Giesbrecht. “A loss would have left us only one point ahead of them.”

And the Kickers continue to play at an elite level as they press on in their quest to return to the Premier League next season. The top two teams at the end of the regular season will be promoted to the Premier League.

The Kickers advanced to the Premier League for the first time in their history last season, but they struggled much of the campaign, especially early in the season and were subsequently relegated back to the First Division. But it appears more and more likely they will return to the top tier next year.

Although the Kickers still have seven games remaining, Giesbrecht says, “our next three games are huge for us, if we can get nine points in those games and get to 33 points, I think we should be okay.”

In this highly competitive First Division, the Kickers face another team with a winning record in their next game as they host the rival Winkler Storm Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at the Steinbach Soccer Park.

The Kickers will be in action at home again on July 24 as they will host Lions FC at 7:30 p.m.