Amir Spratt (Kent, OH/Univ. of Mount Union) slotted home a precise cross from Jordan Akins (Akron, OH/Univ. of Mount Union) in the 10th minute, and Diego Pinto (Akron, OH/Lakeland CC) finished off a penalty in the 98th minute to secure a 2-0 victory over northeast Ohio- and Great Lakes Conference-rival Cleveland SC on Wednesday night in Canton, Ohio.
Ambassadors earned the right to now host the Conference Final on Sunday, July 8 at 2:00 p.m. in Canton following the upset win by #4 seed Flower City Union over the Erie Commodores in Erie on Wednesday.
Ambassadors started the evening with a pre-match ceremony honoring Hayden Kaiser and his family who was lost tragically in the midst of AFC Ohio’s inaugural season in 2021. His family was present to see Hayden’s #5 kit retired permanently and presented to the most recent #5 former player Logan Scherer who has the 9th most appearances in Ambassadors history.
Spratt, the 2025 Great Lakes Conference MVP, was a rampant pressing presence from moment one in the match and was able to provide strong hold up play in the opening minutes. The slotted cross from Akins was an easy finish and set the tone that allowed AFC Ohio to gain some comfort and to absorb some pressure on the hot and humid night at King Field on the campus of Malone University.
“The early goal set a tone but it also lit a fire under Cleveland,” said Head Coach & Technical Director Ryan Dean. “Cleveland took care of business against us twice previously this season and are a tremendously strong side. We knew we would have to endure and hold shape for quite some time if we were not able to open the game up with a second goal. And, that is exactly what we had to do.”
Long-time club captain center back Omar Najjar was called on often to not only provide strength and consistency in winning aerial duals, but also was the voice of organization and intensity as AFC Ohio had to constantly stave off threats from Cleveland as the first half wore on. Akins, and fellow backs Alex Depperschmidt (Mansfield, OH/Univ. of Mount Union), and Nate Werthmuller (Medina, OH/Otterbein Univ.) were just as sound throughout the match. And, once again, goalkeeper Nick Bertolini (Doylestown, OH/Walsh University) made an incredible save at the right place and at the right time late in the match to preserve a clean sheet for the second match in a row.
“Can’t say enough about Bert and the backline tonight,” said Dean. “Once again, we had to suck it up and suffer for long stretches. We did not take care of the ball well enough in the middle third of the match between the 30th and 60th minutes. The contributions from everyone when we were out of possession tonight were just outstanding.”
Cleveland found themselves on the edge of the Ambassadors penalty area and at the byline on numerous occasions but were unable to crack the organization of the hosts all night long. Frustration and chippyness became abundant as the match wore on with over eight minutes of stoppage time added to the first half, and 12 added after the 90 minutes were up.
The AFC Ohio midfield provided some dynamic progression of the ball as well as some solid ball winning and second-chance duals that were won that seemed to suck some life out of Cleveland SC on each occasion. Zak Kersey (England/Neosho County CC), Zach Zemanski (Stow, OH/Palm Beach Atlantic), and Matt Skladany (Cleveland, OH/Baldwin Wallace Univ.) were dominant in their ball progression and challenges throughout the match and it had the effect of wearing down Cleveland as time went on.
“Tonight was about rivalry, respect, resilience and the power of relationships,” concluded Dean. “We have great respect for our friends and neighbors at Cleveland SC and a great history of competition and top shelf football between us. We were so resilient though this evening, reacted so well to the struggling moments, and showed the power of our relationship building process and what it means.”
Ambassadors will now host Flower City Union on Saturday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the Great Lakes Conference Final at Dr. David & Winnie King Field on the campus of Malone University in Canton, Ohio.
