10-Man Cleveland SC Falls 3-0 to Akron City FC in a Hard-Fought Rematch
After a big win on Father’s Day, Cleveland SC traveled to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to face conference rival Akron City FC. Cleveland SC won 1-0 in their previous encounter to open up the season. The two clubs met again on a hot and cloudy Saturday evening in Akron, Ohio, with the home crowd and visiting Cleveland fans eagerly anticipating the rematch.
A few changes were made to the starting eleven, with Jaden Wright, Aidan Bozak, Lucas Oliveira, and Alexandru Rumleanschi making the start that evening. The game began with both teams attacking vigorously, refusing to sit back and absorb pressure. Cleveland SC struggled to break through Akron City's deep defensive line by way of counterattacks. Julian Pellegrini had a great opportunity in the 15th minute, but Akron's goalkeeper, Patrick McLaughlin, made a brilliant save.
The first goal came from an intercepted pass by Joshua Grosser, who capitalized on a misplayed switch by Cleveland SC in the midfield. After some quick passing, the ball reached Stefan Dobrijevic, assisted by Colin Biros, who slotted towards goal which deflected off of Jordan Lewis and into the net, putting Akron City FC up 1-0. In the 28th minute, a long ball over the top found Akron's Sam Sarver, who attempted to round Cleveland's goalkeeper Brenden Moher. However, Moher fouled him outside the box, resulting in a red card that significantly changed the dynamics of the match. Goalkeeper Dominic Williams was subbed in for Julian Pellegrini after a brief break in the action.
Just before halftime, Uleto Fuentes delivered a cross to the back post, where Jaden Wright's header narrowly missed the goal over the crossbar. The second goal came from a challenge in the home side's half, which deflected after a challenge between Akron's Jannis Schmidt and Cleveland's Keegan Dawnson, directly into the path of Dobrijevic, leading to a one-on-one with Dominic Williams, making it 2-0 for Akron City FC at halftime.
The second half saw Akron City pushing for the third goal, but Cleveland SC managed to contain their attacks. In the 51st minute, Stanislas Koval won a free-kick on a counterattack, resulting in a yellow card for Akron's Tommaso Villa. Dominic Williams made several excellent saves to keep Cleveland SC in the game. In the 57th minute, substitutions brought Tapiwa Mushonga and Logan Penton on for Lucas Oliveira and Aidan Bozak. Mushonga made a crucial defensive header to prevent Akron from scoring.
In the 68th minute, Ethan Jacobs and Ryan Sommerfeld replaced Uleto Fuentes and Jaden Wright. Stanislas Koval had the best chance of the half, but the Akron goalkeeper saved his shot after a fantastic ball in from Ethan Jacobs on the right wing. In the 79th minute, Stefan Dobrijevic completed his hat trick, making it 3-0 for Akron City FC. Cleveland SC made their final substitution in the 82nd minute, with Brenden Swann replacing captain Daniel Tregansin. Despite creating a few more chances, Cleveland SC couldn't find the back of the net.
At full-time, Cleveland SC fell 3-0 to Akron City FC. The loss keeps Cleveland SC in fourth place with a record of 4-0-3. Cleveland SC will return to North Olmsted High School to play the rescheduled match against Erie Commodores FC on Wednesday, June 26th, at 7 PM. You can purchase your tickets HERE.
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