Crunch taken to the wire by Risers but still get win; RGV keeps pace with road wins
TAMPA, Fla. -- Both undefeated teams in Major Arena Soccer League 2 were pushed to the limit this weekend, but both remained perfect on the season despite their close calls.
Cleveland held just a one-goal lead in the fourth quarter against the gritty Muskegon Risers, but the Crunch held on to win it 11-9 for the home folks.
Dave Jordan, Admir Suljevic, Kevin Blackwood and Mike Derezic each had two goals for the winners who improved to 7-0 in their 12-game regular season. The defending M2 champions also got a goal and an assist from Ryan Minick.
The Risers trailed at one point the second half 8-4 before their rally fell short. Miguel Flores was once again the offensive star with three goals and an assist as Muskegon dropped to 4-5.
The RGV Barracuda went on the road for a pair of games and came back to Texas with two wins, starting with a 13-9 triumph over the Wichita Wings Friday night followed by 11-9 win in a Lonestar State battle against Amarillo.
Five straight goals in the second and third quarters were too much for the Bombers to overcome. Marcelo Natale, Marco Segura and Aldo Gonzalez all scored two each for RGV. David Trevizo paced the Amarillo attack with the hat trick.
In Wichita, the Barracudas outshot the Wings 51-32. and got a big night from Ivan Martinez with three goals and Natalie with two goals and two assists. Kevin Ten Eyck led Wichita with three goals of his own.
The Wings led 3-2 late in the first quarter, but the Barracudas quickly grabbed the momentum back scoring six unanswered to improve to 6-0 this season. Wichita falls to 6-2, and just a game ahead of 5-2 Omaha who was idle this weekend.
In Colorado, the Inferno broke an early 2-2 tie with four straight goals en route to a 14-9 win over the New Mexico Runners, the hosts first win of the 2012-22 season.
Captain Marcus Jordan showed the way with his three-goal effort, while Josue Jimenez also had the hat trick. Franciso Rivas and Carlos Caro chipped in with two each. Frolian Ramierez led New Mexico with two goals and two assists. Mehrshad Ahmadi pitched in with a pair of goals as well as the Runners dropped to 2-7.
In one other matchup, the Cincinnati-based BC Swerve (1-4) pulled out a 9-8 OT thriller over the Chicago Mustangs (2-5) in the Queen City. Dominique Flores, a 19 year old new signing scored the OT winner for the Swerve, after they had tied in with less than 2 minutes left with the 6th attacker.
The Mustangs host unbeaten Cleveland, while the Swereve travel to Muskegon for 2 big Great Lakes match ups this coming Saturday.