Cleveland Crunch Defeat Bridge City FC 9-5 Behind Stellar Defense and Balanced Attack

The Cleveland Crunch traveled to Pittsburgh to take on Bridge City in a heated matchup that showcased tough defense, physical play, and a well-balanced scoring performance that ultimately earned Cleveland a 9-5 road victory. It was the first indoor soccer match played between Cleveland and Pittsburgh in nearly 40 years. 

Bridge City opened the scoring early when Javier Morejon found the back of the net off a setup from Austin Rocke, putting the home side ahead 1-0. Cleveland goalkeeper Liam McIntosh widely regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the league, kept the Crunch within striking distance with a string of early defensive stops.

The Crunch answered quickly. Chris Cvecko tied the game at 1-1 with Cleveland’s first goal of the night, but Bridge City responded as Jack Shearer capitalized with 14:03 remaining in the first quarter to reclaim a 2-1 lead.

Cleveland’s leadership stepped up as “The Captain” Dave Jordan buried the equalizer with eight minutes left in the first, assisted by Ryan Minick. From there, momentum shifted heavily in the Crunch’s favor.

Jacob Roberto scored off another Minick assist, and shortly after, Tamas Nagy converted off a feed from Gabriel Pewu as the Crunch completed a 3-0 scoring run. Cleveland’s defense tightened, shutting down Bridge City’s counterattacks and dictating the pace of play.

The Crunch extended control when Pewu scored off an assist from Jannis Schmidt to make it 5-2. Veteran Antonio Manfut serving as both player and coach  suited up and contributed immediately, scoring with 1:01 remaining in the quarter to stretch the lead to 6-2.

Tensions rose late in the third quarter when Dave Jordan and Cam Territo exchanged shoves with just 10 seconds remaining, resulting in red cards for both players who were ejected from the match.

Despite the physical tone, Cleveland continued to execute. Nagy scored his second of the match off another Schmidt assist to make it 7-2, followed by Manfut’s second tally of the night as the Crunch showcased total dominance and widened the gap to 8-2.

Bridge City attempted to climb back with goals from Josh Luchini and Gabriel Norris, cutting the deficit, but it would prove too late. Landon Kuhn sealed the victory for Cleveland with a goal in the closing minutes to finalize the score at 9-5.

McIntosh’s consistent and composed performance in net earned him MetroHealth Man of the Match, anchoring a defensive effort that allowed Cleveland to control tempo and create transition scoring opportunities throughout the night.

The win continues Cleveland’s strong start to 2026 as the Crunch look to build momentum heading deeper into the season.