Dayton, OH , June 28, 2014. The Dayton Dutch Lions FC (3-10-2) travelled to play the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1-8-5) tonight. Both teams were looking to move up in the standings, and Dayton would come up with the win and bring home three points.
The Dayton Dutch Lions FC were the first to get on the board in the seventeenth minute when Guilerme Felix sent a ball down the middle for Eli Garner. Garner, using his speed, beat the defender, forcing the Pittsburgh keeper, Hunter Gilstrap out, but Garner was there first and with a slight tap right was able to move past Gilstrap and put the ball in the back of the net. Play continued to go quickly from end to end and in the thirty first minute Lions keeper Matt Williams was tested when Pittsburgh sent a ball from the left to right and as the header came down toward the goal, Williams made a diving, one-handed save to his right. At the same time a Riverhound player crashed the far post, but missed the ball and ended up in the back of the net himself. Again in the thirty seventh minute Pittsburgh would have an opportunity off a corner kick, but Lions keeper Williams was there to punch it away. Dayton came back in the forty third minute when Felix ran down the left and crossed in to Garner who shot twice, but Pittsburgh’s keeper Gilstrap and midfielder Anthony Obodai would deny Garner a second goal. The half would end with Dayton up by one over Pittsburgh.
The second half saw the rain begin to fall and with it came the lightning. A game delay was called and the game resumed forty five minutes later. The turf was wet and the conditions slick as play resumed. Pittsburgh came out strong going for goal. Dayton’s Matthew Wiet along with Matheus Dos Santos stepped up on defense and shut the early attacks down. The Lions struggled to find an offensive rhythm as they kept trying to fend off the attacking Riverhounds but in the sixty first minute Dayton would get a shot on goal. Pittsburgh’s keeper Gilstrap would make the diving save. The ball would go back to the Dayton end immediately with a long ball, but Dayton’s keeper Williams would come out and deny the attempt. Pittsburgh continued to press and play the long ball into Dayton’s end, but Dayton’s defense and keeper continued to make it hard for the Riverhounds to finish. Pittsburgh would control the second half and would continue to be quick on the attack but Dayton was equally quick to transition back with numbers and stop them. Dayton would win this game on the road against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0.
Dayton Dutch Lions Coach Sid van Druenen had this to say about the game. “This was a great three points for us and keeps our hopes for playoffs alive. The first half was a very open game with many chances on both sides. Matt Williams stepped up with some great saves and Eli Garner gave us the lead with a good finish. With the tactical change at half time we were able to get the clean sheet and the win. We got what we came here for and the focus now goes on to Tuesday’s home game.”
The Dayton Dutch Lions FC return home to DOC Stadium for a second game against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Tuesday, July 1st at 7pm. They travel to play the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday, July 5th at 8pm and return home to play the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday July 12th at 7pm at DOC Stadium. For season and individual game tickets, visit the Dutch Lions website.
//
Stefan Beerens, Media Relations s.beerens@daytondutchlionsfc.com
Dayton Dutch Lions FC-Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0
17’ Garner (Felix) 1-0
Dayton Dutch Lions FC: Williams, Garner(Smith), Felix (Harada), Walker (Clemens), Granger, Thuriere, Wiet, Schoenfeld (Broekhuizen), Angoy-Cruyff (Kissinger), Friedman, Dos Santos
Pittsburgh Riverhounds: Gilstrap, Obodai, Marshall, Flunder, Motagalvan, Vincent, Earls, Kerr, Green, Angulo, Ngwenua (Dallman)(CdeBaca)(Cabrilo)(Seth)