5/18/13
Game #1:
BEAVERCREEK, OH....The Dayton Dutch Lions Women’s team opened with a roar in their Women’s Cup tournament debut against the Cincinnati Lady Saints on Saturday in Beavercreek’s Miami Valley Hospital Stadium, winning 3-1. Five minutes into the game Dutch Lions’ forward Juliana Libertin streaked down the right flank and spotted strike partner Emilie Fillion in a full sprint at the top of the penalty area. Libertin sent a precise pass directly to Fillion who sidestepped a Saints defender, and, with Saints goalkeeper Sam Rolson dashing off her line, calmly chipped the ball in for a 1-0 lead.
However, twenty-five minutes later, the Lady Saints answered with forward Jackie Esterkamp rushing past the Dutch Lions’ defense and sending a shot to the right post, tying things up, 1-1. During that tussle, defensive back Emilee Kaminski suffered a leg injury and in the 37th minute, Dutch Lions’ Coach Sid van Druenen substituted in Abby Skoda for Kaminiski.
In a lucky break for the Lions, Cincinnati forward Alex Hesson rocketed a shot in the 40th minute that smacked off the right side of the Dutch Lions’ crossbar. The Saints continued to harp on the Dutch Lions’ goalkeeper, Brooke McCurdy with a corner kick in 44th minute that was not converted, and both teams left the field at the half tied 1-1.
The women returned to the field with renewed purpose in the second half, but once again the Dutch Lions prevailed, when in the 48th minute a Fillion assist sailed past the Lady Saints defense and Natalia Daniels swooped in for a go-ahead score, now Dutch Lions 2-1.
Lady Saints’ Midfielder Kate Drummond’s showed her frustration n the 52nd minute when she spun the Dutch Lions defender around on the the 40 yd line, drawing a yellow card, although the Dutch Lions were hit with the penalty. The Lady Saints tried to gain momentum on an indirect kick, but the Dutch Lions stepped up and matched their efforts, keeping them from capitalizing on their endeavours.
In a 61st minute breakaway by two Dutch Lions forwards which drew Saints’ Goalkeeper Rolson off her line once more, Fillion sent a back-heel flick pass to an eager Libertin who circled back from her overrun to deftly send the ball to the back of the Saints net for a goal, and the Dutch Lions increased their lead to 3-1, the final score of the game.
Coach van Druenen was cautious about the opener. “We had a better second half than the first. We started off slow, and I think we underestimated a little bit the other team. We scored early so we let them gain a little bit too much confidence and the aggression level and pressure level was low, so that’s what we talked about at half-time.” But he was encouraged by the level of play he saw at the beginning of the second half. “Especially the first 25-30 minutes of the second half were a lot better, with a little more opportunities for us. The last 15 minutes with the subs and the 3-1 lead, the game level dropped a little bit. But for the 30 minutes of second half, if we keep building on that I’m happy with that level of play for now.”
The Dutch Lion’s Women’s team returns to Miami Valley Hospital Stadium on Sunday for the Championship round, playing the winner of the Toronto Lady Lynx versus Ohio Galaxies game, which immediately followed today’s game. The Dayton Dutch Lions Women’s team opens with a W-League game, the highest Women’s Professional Soccer League in the U.S., on Saturday, May 25th, at 5:30 pm, facing the Charlotte Eagles at home in the Miami Valley Hospital Stadium in Beavercreek.
Game#2
BEAVERCREEK, OH….Miami Valley Hospital Stadium was the location for the inaugural Dutch Lions Cup. The second game of the day was played by the Toronto Lady Lynx and the Ohio Galaxies.
The first half saw very physical play between the teams as they battled for a spot in the championship game. The Ohio Galaxies had Toronto on their heels with 3 shots on goal in the first five minutes. Toronto however, quickly gained their composure and rallied in front of the Galaxies goal in the 14th, 15th and 16th minutes, that included hard crosses by #7 Oni Benard, but Toronto was unable to finish. The play returned to the Toronto goal in the 19th minute when a direct kick by Devan Ciotti found the head of a Galaxies player barely missing the goal. The Galaxies put together a great passing series in the 24th minute only to have the shot go wide. In the 25th minute however, there was no mistake, Toronto’s # 13 Jordyn Listro put the ball in the back of the net with the help of an assist by #17 Kim Dimitroff. The rest of the first half saw the game switch ends in hard fought play with shots taken by both sides, but no additional goals were scored. In the final minute of the first half, a head ball battle left #16, Lady Lynx, Taylor Maclver, with a bloodied face.
The second half began with a strong push from Toronto, but the Galaxies quickly responded. The 55th minute again saw chances created on both sides, but neither team would score. In the 60th minute Toronto’s #11 Furtuna Velaj crossed from the right, but #10, Dany Barsalona was unable to reach the ball. In the 62nd minute the Galaxies made a run, but Toronto’s #20 Kadeish Buchanan twice came up with defensive plays to thwart the Galaxies efforts. In the 65th minute the Galaxies goalie, Haley Gribler was challenged by repeated attempts from the Lady Lynx, but the ball was ultimately pushed out by the keeper for a Toronto corner kick. In the 75th minute, long balls were served up at both ends leading to chances for both teams yet again. The attempts however, were handled readily by both keepers. In the 80th minute the Galaxies had two chances, the first off a direct kick on the right side by the 10 yard line and the second on a throw-in that bounced off the bar, but neither effort found the back of the net. The excitement continued until the final whistle. The final score: Toronto Lady Lynx 1, Ohio Galaxies 0.