Dayton Dutch Lions FC give away game in first ten minutes and unable to recover, play-off spot out of reach
Wilmington, July 20 2012 - The Dayton Dutch Lions FC was unable to continue it's good results as of late by losing 2-0 against 4th place Wilmington Hammerheads in front of 4063 spectators. The Lions started with veterans Dias and Jones staying home with muscle injuries and Metin Copier suspended after receiving 5 yellow cards, making the line up in the back a puzzle for head coach Ivar van Dinteren.
The Hammerheads came out strong with a lot of pressure and forced the Lions back and making mistakes resulting in a 2-0 behind after 9 minutes. The first one after a long throw in headed past Williams by Dylan Riley, the second minutes after that when a pass was intercepted around the midfield and Cody Arnoux had a amazing shot from 40 yards out with the (hard) wind behind it going over Williams' head for the 2-0. The Lions did find their rhythm back a little and got a great scoring chance in the 24th minute when Bardsley went one on one with the goalie but his shot was saved.The Hammerheads had one clear chance in the first half of their own but a near header was saved nicely by Williams, who also saw two shots going just over the crossbar.
The second half the Lions had the strong wind in their back but could not create any real danger despite bringing in some fresh legs, leaving coach Van Dinteren with a bad feeling: "we made the mistakes we talked about before the game. They are dangerous on long throw ins and also to be careful with balls played through the middle. The first two goals were exactly scored like that. Although we have made great steps as team we need to built on consistency, which is especially hard when you miss some of your veterans and playing 3 games in 4 days. We have to drive to Richmond now and focus on tomorrow's game though. Luckily Copier is returning giving some more options in the back and i will bring some new guys since most played already 2 games in three days".
The loss still keeps Pittsburgh and Antigua underneath the Lions in the standings since Pittsburgh lost to Harrisburg last night. After Richmond last placed team Antigua will come to Dayton on Sunday July 29.
The USL Pro League standings:
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||
| Pts | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | W | L | T | GF | GA | W | L | T | GF | GA | |
| Orlando City | 46 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 8 |
| Charleston Battery | 33 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 29 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| Rochester Rhinos | 32 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 12 |
| Wilmington Hammerheads | 29 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 21 |
| Harrisburg City Islanders | 27 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 |
| Charlotte Eagles | 23 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 |
| Los Angeles Blues | 23 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 10 |
| Richmond Kickers | 23 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 |
| Dayton Dutch Lions | 16 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 14 | 19 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 15 |
| Antigua Barracuda FC | 10 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 33 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 |