They say grit is built in the north, and from frozen Winnipeg pitches to the heat of the Frauen-Bundesliga, Caroline Kehrer has embraced that Winnipeg grit every step of the way.
“We played one game actually against 22,000 people in a stadium this year and I think that was just so cool,” Kehrer says. “The whole stadium, you know, cheering against us. I actually scored in that game too, and to hear a stadium go silent after you score is just something special.”
Keher is currently a centre-forward for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, a team that is fighting for their first-ever champions league qualification. Kehrer is a key part of their season.
“This is a very physical league,” Kehrer says. “It’s the Bundesliga, it’s very competitive… and I think it fits my style as a striker pretty well.”
Kehrer’s story, however, isn’t about instant stardom. She made a gradual climb from the lower tiers of professional soccer to one of Europe’s most competitive leagues.
She started her career in the USA, playing for UAB Blazers, where she received her first call from Europe; a Danish side, Aalborg BK, offered her a contract.
The next step was Hungary, and then her first big move, Portugal.
“When I went to Portugal, I scored a couple of goals in my first game, and I think that was like my ‘I made it’ moment,” she says.
However, her journey began right here in Winnipeg.
“I can go back to a moment when we were training at Assiniboine Park” Alex Esteves, her former coach, says. “We were working on a move and a shot from outside the box, and it was an incredible moment. The first time she played in Portugal, she went and did the exact same move and scored.”
Keher’s family also played a big part in her rise.
“We’ve just lived that type of life,” says Kim Kehrer, Caroline’s mother. “Where it is serious, you commit yourself and you dedicate yourself. And if you love it, then my husband and I are there to support them and to go all the way.”
As she continues to play for a Champions League spot this season, Kehrer also hopes of representing her country one day.
“The Canadian national team… I don’t think it’s ever too late,” she says. “I am never going to give up on that one.”