TWTW: Cleveland Secures Top Spot, Chicago PAO Triumphs in the Chicago Derby, Ft. Wayne Edges Lansing

Chicago, Ill. – The Cleveland Crunch (Cleveland, Ohio) reclaimed the top spot with a win over the Canadian Crusaders (Toronto, Ontario), bouncing back from last weekend’s 2-0 shootout loss. Summit City United (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) edged out Lansing, while Chicago Panathinaikos (Chicago PAO) defeated the Chicago Mustangs (Chicago, Ill.) in a tightly contested match.

Here’s the weekend recap:

Cleveland vs. Toronto

Cleveland struck first with Michael Derezic scoring late in the first quarter, followed by Ryan Minick extending the lead early in the second. Toronto responded with two quick goals to tie it up before Derezic converted a penalty kick to reclaim the lead. Bryan Kern added a power-play goal, but Toronto stayed within reach, making it 4-3 heading into halftime. In the third quarter, Toronto capitalized on a power play to tie the game again and took the lead with another goal at 10:26.

Toronto built momentum early in the fourth, extending their lead to 7-4. Cleveland answered back with three consecutive goals, including another penalty kick from Derezic and a game-tying goal by Omar Najjar with just over two minutes left. The match headed to overtime, where Bryan Kern sealed the win for Cleveland at 4:03, completing the comeback.

Chicago PAO vs. Chicago

PAO Chicago and the Chicago Mustangs traded early goals, with PAO taking the lead twice in the first quarter before the Mustangs pulled ahead 3-2. PAO responded in the second, scoring four unanswered goals to take control of the match. Chicago found the net again in the third, but PAO maintained their momentum, extending their lead to 8-5 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth, Chicago pushed forward with six attackers, but PAO capitalized on the open net, sealing a 10-7 victory. Luis Marquez and Gabriel Jurado stood out, each scoring multiple goals for their teams. 

Ft. Wayne vs. Lansing

Fort Wayne took control early, building a strong lead over Lansing. However, Lansing fought back in the later stages of the match, closing the gap. Despite the comeback effort, Fort Wayne held on to secure a 7-4 victory. With the win, Fort Wayne improved to 2-3 on the season and six in the league standings.