The Carillon May 27/2004 Kickers blank Sword in debut

Hanover Kickers striker JorgeYegros (#8) lurks dangerously in front of the Grant Mill goalkeeper Friday night in Steinbach as the Kickers blanked the Sword 1-0 on a goal by Andreas Bergen in the 83rd minute of play.


Kickers blank Sword in debut

Conditions were not ideal at A. D. Penner Park in Steinbach last Friday night as the Hanover Kickers finally took to the pitch for the first time this season as they won their first ever Manitoba Major Soccer League First Division match, blanking the Grant Mill Sword 1-0.

But despite the cool inclement weather on Friday, the Kickers were soaking in the victory as it marked another milestone in the Hanover Kickers organization, first formed in 2000, beginning play in the Fifth Division.

Hanover's first game of the season against the Britannia Rovers slated for May 17 in Winnipeg was postponed because of wet grounds.

Friday night in Steinbach, the Kickers who advanced from the Second Division last year, took on Grant Mill, who were relegated from the Premier League last year. The Sword actually won the Premier League three years ago. With a two-division swing from last year, Kickers' player/coach Norman Anderson says some of the younger players were nervous about whether they could compete with the Sword.

It showed in the early going as the Kickers were tentative and back on their heels as the Sword took the play to the Kickers. But after about 15 minutes the Kickers settled in and started to take the play downfield. Scoreless at the half Andreas Bergen finally scored for the Kickers in the 83rd minute of the 90-minute game as the home team hung on for the 1-0 victory. Anderson says "we couldn't have wished for anything more, a 1-0 result means we controlled the game."

The Kickers got stronger as the game wore on, controlling play in the second half, and received standout goaltending from 17-year-old Christian Zischler, a German exchange student attending high school in Ste Anne. Olaf Petersson, an exchange student from Sweden attending the Steinbach Regional, was also in the line-up adding to the international flavour of the Kickers' as players hail from around the globe, including Paraguay, Bolivia, Scotland and New Zealand, to name just a few of the countries. There are even players from Canada on the roster.

The Kickers and Third Division Strikers are allowed to use a maximum of three players from the regional U19 team in each game. These players can play an unlimited number of games in a season.

Anderson says the team this year is a little younger in average age as they compete in the more competitive First Division, however they also kept some experience on the squad such as Aaron Reilly, one of the top goal scorers in the Manitoba Major Soccer League the past three years.

Hanover will take on Scotia Friday night in Winnipeg in another First Division tilt at 7:30 p.m. at John Blumberg #9. The Kickers return home to A.D. Penner Park in Steinbach on Sunday when they will host rival AC Italia at 4:00 p.m. AC Italia won the Second Division last year.

Meanwhile the Strikers will kick off their season Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Transcona Stadium against Spitfire FC. The Strikers will play their first home game at A.D. Penner Park on Friday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. against the Sierra Stars.
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