Medina, Ohio – The conference affiliation may have changed, but the intensity of the Brunswick-Medina rivalry certainly has not.

For the first time since 2014, the longtime rivals met in a contest that was not part of the Greater Cleveland Conference slate. What followed was another tightly contested chapter in the series, with Medina finding a late winner to edge Brunswick, 1-0, at Memorial Stadium.

The loss moves Brunswick to 4-4-6 on the season, while Medina improves to 10-3-1. The Bees, who have already clinched at least a share of the Suburban League title in their new conference, also continue to hold the advantage in the historical series, 31-8-9.

Medina controlled much of the opening half, finishing the first 40 minutes with a 7-1 advantage in shots. Four of Medina’s attempts were on target, while Brunswick’s lone effort missed the frame.

The Blue Devils, however, emerged from halftime looking like a different side.

Brunswick took control of the match, playing with greater confidence and pushing numbers forward in search of the opening goal. The Blue Devils outshot Medina 8-2 over the final 40 minutes and came close on multiple occasions, but could not find the finishing touch their performance deserved.

Instead, it was Medina that produced the decisive moment with just under 11 minutes to play. Charlie Getz’s deflected effort squeaked past Brunswick goalkeeper Vasylkevych, giving the Bees the breakthrough and ultimately the 1-0 victory.

Both goalkeepers played an important role in keeping the rivalry contest tight. Vasylkevych finished with five saves for Brunswick, while Medina goalkeeper Jannik Saders recorded six saves to preserve the clean sheet.

Despite the result, Brunswick could take plenty of positives from its second-half performance.

“I’m super happy with the effort from the boys,” Brunswick head coach Ben Dotson said. “Memorial Stadium is a tough place to play, but we came in, we were brave, and I thought we really took the game to them, especially in the second half. We created opportunities and put ourselves in positions to score. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the goal tonight.”

Junior midfielder Tyler Bradbury earned Man of the Match honors after a commanding performance in the center of the park. Bradbury consistently broke up Medina attacks, competed for possession and helped link Brunswick’s play going forward as the Blue Devils seized control after halftime.

For Brunswick, attention quickly turns back to GCC competition. The Blue Devils travel to Riverside on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff, looking to build on the fight and quality they displayed in the second half at Memorial Stadium.

For further Brunswick High School Men’s Soccer information, please contact Head Coach Ben Dotson at 440-273-0496 or bdotson@bcsoh.org.