Crunch Rally Past Red Cedar 10-8 in High-Intensity Home Win

Photo Courtesy of Raw Image Photography

The Cleveland Crunch advanced to 5-0 Saturday evening with a 10-8 win over Lansing Red Cedar FC.

Before kickoff, Crunch captain Dave Jordan spoke about the significance of having his red card rescinded, allowing him to return to the lineup and play in front of the home crowd. Jordan emphasized how meaningful it was to be back on the field for the fans. Goalkeeper Marijo Musa echoed similar sentiments, noting the importance of the home support despite an approaching snowstorm outside the arena.

Cleveland struck first with an early breakthrough from Carter Hancock, who scored his first goal as a member of the Crunch, assisted by Player and Head Coach Antonio Manfut. Lansing responded quickly with Gabriel Meireles scoring at 9:59 follow by another goal from Osbin Mendez at the 8:00 mark to give Red Cedar a 2-1 lead.

The Crunch answered back when Tamas Nagy found the net at 7:24, assisted by Gabriel Pewu, but Lansing closed the first quarter strong when Meireles scored again with 1:24 remaining, sending Lansing into the break with a 3-2 advantage.

Cleveland opened the second quarter with renewed energy as Manfut scored at 9:27, assisted by Admir Suljevic. After extended stretches of intense defense on both sides, Pewu gave the Crunch momentum with a goal at 4:55, once again assisted by Suljevic. Lansing answered late with Meireles completing his hat trick at 2:18, and the teams entered halftime locked at 4-4.

The third quarter continued the trend of rapid responses. 

Manfut scored his second goal of the night at 5:46, assisted by Jannis Schmidt, but Lansing responded just seconds later with another goal from Mendez. Lansing briefly regained the lead on a goal by Victor Viana, before Cleveland countered with one of the night’s highlights, a perfectly timed head-tap goal by Omar Najjar at 2:08, assisted by Suljevic. Lansing struck again with João DeAquino scoring at 1:08, but Jordan delivered a clutch equalizer with just 0:49 left in the quarter, tying the game 7-7 heading into the fourth.

With the crowd turning up the volume, the Crunch elevated their play in the final frame. Schmidt scored at 11:38 to give Cleveland the lead, followed by Ryan Minick finding the net at 6:31, assisted by Suljevic. The Crunch extended the lead when Rafael Davalos scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Aidan Bozak. Red Cedar managed one final goal from DeAquino at 3:36, but Cleveland held on to secure the 10-8 victory.

After the match, Najjar reflected on the challenge, saying the game was “a lot tougher than when they met earlier in the season,” but emphasized he was happy to come away with the win. Pewu added that while the team “didn’t play up to standard,” they “got the job done.” Head coach Antonio Manfut called the game “a wake-up call,” expressing satisfaction with the result while acknowledging there is still work to be done.

Minick was named MetroHealth Man of the Match, capping off a strong all-around performance in a statement win for the Crunch.