CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Gladiators came off their Arena League bye week with an apparent lack of focus against the Los Angeles KISS that led to narrow 45-42 victory Saturday night in Quicken Loans Arena.

It took a 17-yard field goal from Aaron Pettrey with 1.5 seconds to play for Cleveland to pull out the victory.

"I felt like a golfer who scrambled all day but still shot even par,'' Pettrey said afterward, noting an earlier 34-yard field goal miss.

"I still made the kick that counted."

Offense, defense and special teams all played a hand in keeping this one close against the lowly KISS (2-6), but Cleveland stayed undefeated (7-0).

Three Gladiator special teams miscues: allowing a kickoff return to their own four and losing a fumbled kickoff return led to LA scores, plus the Pettrey miss all played a role.

Two Shane Austin interceptions: both led to touchdowns, the second tied the score, 42-42, in the fourth quarter. This after entering the game with just two picks on the season.

Defense wilts: Leading, 42-28, early in the fourth quarter Cleveland had LA looking at a fourth-and-6, and a chance to take a three-possession lead if the Gladiators could hold. But the defense jumped offsides giving LA a critical first down that led to a TD.

Then, late in the fourth quarter, with the game tied, 42-42, Cleveland's defense allowed a fourth-and-13 completion for a first down right at the 1:00 mark left in the game.

"We gave up an easy touchdown right before the end of the first half,'' head coach Steve Thonn said of Cleveland's struggles. Then we had that interception (Austin's first of the game) to start the second half. That made it hard to get momentum."

'Mo' belonged to the KISS as they continued to take advantage of Cleveland mistakes until the very end.

"We were struggling so bad in the fourth quarter,'' Thonn said. "We had lost the momentum."

But with 40.6 seconds left, Cleveland's defense finally held on downs, giving Austin a chance to win the game in regulation. He marched the team down to the one and failed on several run attempts to score, leaving the final chore to Pettrey.