 Bundesliga Holstein Kiel on penalties in the second round., before losing 1–0 to Union Berlin.In 2003, a 15th-place finish in the Regionalliga Nord (III) saw the team relegated for the first time in over thirty years.Some dispute surrounds Verl having to play the last game of the season in Paderborn during torrential rain, while Hamburger SV II were able to claim unplayable conditions and played the next day, securing a victory against KFC Uerdingen to remain in the league.