CRUNCH SECURES SECOND WIN OVER REIGNING MLIS CHAMPS RAPID CITY FC

A week after clinching a crucial road victory in the Rocky Mountains against the Colorado Bucks, the Crunch faced their rivals, Rapid City FC. In their previous encounter, Cleveland emerged victorious with an 11-8 score in a scrappy match. Despite a strong start for the Crunch Saturday night, the momentum fluctuated during the game. Nevertheless, amidst the back-and-forth, the Crunch managed to secure a 14-7 win.

Tom Beck, the MetroHealth Man of the Match in the team's last meeting, and Admir Suljevic, scored back-to-back goals in the first quarter, putting the Crunch up 4-0. Mikey Derezic then extended the Crunch's lead off a pass from Parker Csiszar, to put the Crunch up 5-0 at the end of the second.

The Crunch further increased their lead in the second; Suljevic scored his third, putting the team up 6-0 and completing a hat trick. Although Grand Rapids displayed some vitality in the second quarter by scoring three goals, they still trailed by 5, thanks to additional scores from Ryan Minick and Suljevic. The Crunch held an 8-3 lead going into halftime.

After a sluggish first half, Rapid City narrowed Cleveland’s lead to 9-6. Momentum seemed to favor Rapid City until Crunch goalie Marijo Musa received a yellow card for disputing a call, resulting in a penalty kick for Rapid City. However, Musa successfully defended the 1-on-1, and momentum swung back in Cleveland’s favor.

In the fourth quarter, Crunch Captain Dave Jordan and Jacob Roberto each scored twice, while Aidan Bozak added another goal, extending Cleveland’s lead to 14-6. Rapid City found the net once more to put the final score at 14-7 in Cleveland’s favor.

Musa earned the MetroHealth ‘Man of the Match’ with 14 saves.

The Crunch is on a 5-game winning streak and is set to play the Colorado Bucks in Cleveland this Saturday, March 2. Tickets are still available at www.clevelandcrunch.com/tickets.