CRUNCH SECURE 9-8 SHOOTOUT WIN IN THIRD STRAIGHT OVERTIME CLASH WITH CRUSADERS

The Cleveland Crunch battled through adversity to secure a thrilling 9-8 overtime shootout victory over the Toronto Crusaders on Saturday night at the Soccer Sportsplex. Overcoming multiple deficits and a physical contest, the Crunch clawed their way back to stay atop the MLIS standings in front of a sold out home crowd.

Toronto struck first just over a minute into the game when Raheem Rose opened the scoring, but Cleveland responded almost immediately as Omar Najjar, assisted by Diego Pinto, netted the equalizer. The Crusaders regained control, rattling off three unanswered goals from Yonis Jama, Ramzey Hassan, and Darius Kerr-Cooper to build a 4-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. However, Cleveland cut the deficit to 4-2 just before halftime when David Jordan buried a goal off a feed from Mikey Derezic.

The battle intensified in the third quarter. Najjar struck again off an assist from Gabriel Pewu to pull Cleveland within one, but Toronto answered through Yevhenii Zaiets and another goal from Hassan to extend their advantage to 6-3. The Crunch refused to back down, with Gabriel Pewu finding the back of the net off an assist from Najjar to make it a 6-4 game heading into the final period.

Facing a 7-4 deficit early in the fourth quarter after another Hassan goal, Cleveland began to mount its comeback. Jordan struck again on a power play, followed by a goal from Derezic just 37 seconds later. With the momentum fully shifting, Derezic struck once more, this time off a Jordan assist, tying the game at 7-7. Minutes later, Derezic converted a crucial penalty kick to give Cleveland its first lead of the night at 8-7. However, with just over a minute remaining, Sebastián López capitalized on a Toronto power play to force overtime.

With the game deadlocked at 8-8, Crunch goalkeeper Marijo Musa took center stage. After making several crucial saves throughout regulation—including a massive penalty kick stop—Musa delivered in the shootout. He denied Toronto’s Ramzey Hassan and Youssef Naciri, while Derezic and Jordan calmly converted their chances, sealing the victory for Cleveland. For his clutch performance, Musa was named the MetroHealth Man of the Match, anchoring the Crunch defense and delivering game-saving stops when his team needed them most. 

This matchup marks the third consecutive meeting between the Crunch and the Crusaders. The series began with Toronto defeating Cleveland 8-7 in a shootout at the Soccer Sportsplex. The Crunch then avenged this loss with an 8-7 overtime win in Toronto, before clinching another overtime victory in the latest 9-8 shootout thriller. Mikey Derezic led the way on offense for the Crunch recording 12 total points on 9 goals and 3 assists over the last three games vs. the Crusaders. 

The Crunch now turn their attention to their next challenge as they hit the road to face Lansing Red Cedar FC this Saturday, February 22. For more information on the Cleveland Crunch, visit www.theclevelandcrunch.com or follow the team on social media for the latest updates.