March 19, 2022 (Cleveland, Ohio) – The Soccer Sportsplex was electric as fans sold out the arena for Fan Appreciation Night March 19.
The undefeated Crunch started off strong with a goal from midfielder Admir Suljevic less than five minutes into the game off a pass from Kurt Raney. Sami Mutemwa, Boban Cancar, and Rylan Wikle all scored, along with Mikey Derezic who completed a hat trick in the first quarter giving the Crunch a demanding 7-0 lead.
The Crunch’s momentum did not stop in the second quarter. Gabriel Pewu scored two goals of his own and Suljevic, Mutemwa, Derezic, and Kevin Blackwood all scored to advance the Crunch’s lead 13-0 before halftime.
The Crunch scored five unanswered goals in the third quarter extending the lead to 18-0. Raney scored the first goal of the third quarter five seconds after the whistle. Derezic scored twice less than two minutes apart and Chris Cvecko found the back of the net for his first goal of the night. Pewu headed the ball in the goal with five seconds left in the third.
Mutemwa recorded both assists and one goal in the fourth quarter, and Pewu and Blackwood each put another on the board. Aidan Bozak scored his first goal of the night putting the final score at 22-2—a season high.
Tonight Suljevic and Derezic share the MetroHealth “Men of the Match” honor. Suljevic was on fire with two goals and six assists and Derezic was dominating with six goals and two assists.
We would like to say a big thank you to our sponsors for making Fan Appreciation Night possible and for donating items to give out to fans: Cardinal Credit Union, MetroHealth, B Brave Foundation, Friedman Domiano & Smith, Dave & Busters, UN1TUS, and Foote Printing.
The Crunch will head to the Mercy Health Arena in Muskegon, Mich., April 9-11 for playoff weekend. The Crunch will play the winner of the Chicago Mustangs and Muskegon Risers match taking place April 2.
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