CLEVELAND CRUNCH REMAINS UNDEFEATED; DEFEATS MUSKEGON RISERS 11-9 SATURDAY NIGHT

by Kelsey Lauriel

(Cleveland, Ohio) February 12, 2022 - The undefeated Cleveland Crunch soared to victory Saturday night, with an 11-9 win over the Muskegon Risers. 

The Crunch was off to a slow start but with two minutes left in the first quarter, midfielder Admir Suljevic found the back of the net. Team captain and Defender David Jordan also added a goal seconds before the first quarter ended to extend the lead 2-1.

Chris Cvecko kicked-off the scoring for the Crunch in the second quarter. And Hunter Johnson scored his first goal of the night putting the Crunch up by 4-2. The Risers followed up with a goal, putting the score at 4-3 at the half. 

The Crunch kept the momentum high going into the third quarter. Ryan Minick found the back of the net off an assist from Goalkeeper Marijo Musa. Mikey Derezic scored his first of the night, and Kevin Blackwood put two on the board for the Crunch, extending the lead to 8-4 at the end of the third.

While the Risers put five on the board in the fourth quarter, the Crunch returned the favor from Derezic, Jordan, and Suljevic who all scored their second of the night, putting the final score at 11-9. Defender Chris Cvekco earned the MetroHealth ‘Man of the Match’ honor with one goal. Cvecko is being recognized for his strong defensive performance against the Risers.

The Crunch improves to 7-0 and will travel to Chicago next weekend to take on the Mustangs in back-to-back matches at 7 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 19, and 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 20.