Thursday, June 6, 2013
DAYTON, Ohio – The Dayton Dutch Lions are unbeaten in their last five USL PRO games. They will look to capitalize on that momentum when they host VSI Tampa Bay on Sunday night. The Dutch Lions, though, will not be the only team in this contest riding an unbeaten streak. Tampa Bay’s run of five games without a loss equals that of Dayton’s. It is likely that one of these teams will have their streak come to end when the dust settles after this match.
The Dutch Lions’ stretch without a loss has included a win and three draws, the most recent of which was a 4-4 barnburner against the Columbus Crew. The streak has pushed Dayton’s record to 4-2-3. With 15 points, Dayton sits in seventh place in the league standings. The top eight teams from the regular season will advance to the playoffs.
“Honestly, the unbeaten streak has not been a topic of conversation. I’ve not heard one person mention it,” said Dutch Lions Head Coach Patrick Bal. “We’ve approached every game individually with the intention to win that particular game. The result has been an unbeaten streak. We’ve learned that we’re a tough team to beat.”
This will be the final meeting between these two clubs in the regular season. When these two clubs faced each other in Plant City Stadium on April 26, the Dutch Lions walked away with a 1-0 victory and the three points. Dayton is the only USL PRO team that has defeated Tampa Bay on their home field.
With regard to the earlier match between the two teams, Bal said, “It was a story of two halves. I felt like we dominated the first half, but couldn’t find the end pass. They came out with more physicality, aggression, and pressure in the second half, which was difficult for us to handle. We were glad to leave with the points.”
Tampa Bay has not tasted defeat since that night in late April and will be stiff competition for the Dutch Lions. The club from Florida has improved its record to 7-3-1 during its unbeaten streak and sits comfortably in fourth position in the USL PRO table.
The game between the Dayton Dutch Lions and VSI Tampa Bay will take place on Sunday, June 16 at Beavercreek High School. First kick is scheduled for 6:30 PM. This will be the last chance for Dayton fans to see the Dutch Lions in person until the team returns from a west-coast trip at the end of the month.