Dayton Dutch Lions FC defense stands strong after early 2-0 lead from Klaasse and Westdijk
Dayton, Sunday, June 16, 2013 - The Dayton Dutch Lions’ (5-2-3) Remco Klaasse pounced on an early and untimely VSI Tampa Bay FC (7-5-1) mistake when a misplaced goalkick dropped to his feet ten minutes into the match. Without hesitation, his sliding center field shot started the Dutch Lions off on their road to a 2-1 victory over VSI Tampa Bay.
Twenty minutes later, Tjeerd Westdijk took his turn on VSI Tampa’s second defensive breakdown and nailed another goal for Dayton, now 2-0, with Tampa goalkeeper Alex Horwath clearly concerned about the congestion in his box. Tampa’s determination was evident with increased intensity and stronger possession. This produced an opportunity for a Tampa score which occurred when Sal Bundu nailed a headball into Dayton’s goal from Shawn Chin’s corner, the score now 2-1. Dayton maintained the lead as the teams left the field for the end of the first half.
VSI Tampa came out strong in the second half, with several opportunities that the Dayton defense had to work to deny. But work is what Dayton’s defense did, while managing to hold onto control in spite of constant pressure by Tampa’s Bundu and Joseph Noone. Dayton stayed organized and alert, with their heads up, keeping their possession-oriented style of play alive. Coach Patrick Bal was complimentary of the Tampa team, citing their strength at midfield and their style, similar to the Dutch Lions. “Today, they were better than us, making it harder, especially in the second half.” When asked about their style, Bal replied, “Normally it makes it easier for us, because if they want to play soccer in that style, then we get space to move the ball around. Today we couldn’t keep the ball, especially the second half. Especially after our first goal, it looked like we were sitting back. The second half was completely theirs’.”
Tampa’s pressure on the Dayton defense had a streak of luck later in the second half when Tampa’s Shawn Reynolds just about jammed a cross from Noone into Dayton’s goal but the ball skidded just outside the right post. Tampa’s Chin took a shot in the 85th minute which Matt Williams punched out, once again saving Dayton from a Tampa equalizer. Good field spacing by both teams provided little opportunity for advancement, in spite of the fresh legs that substitutions by Dayton’s Coach Patrick Bal made late in the second half. When asked about the changeover, Bal said, “All the guys who came in did exactly what was expected of them, and that says something about the team.” The entire Dayton contributed to the end result, with Dayton winning 2-1.
Line up: Williams, Granger, Presciado, Harada, Smith (Lord), DeLass, Khutsidze (Kissinger), Westdijk (Schwartzendruber), Garner (Hertsenberg), Klaasse (Broekhuizen), Madigan
The Dutch Lions head west for two re-matches, starting with the Phoenix FC Wolves (2-9-4) on Jun 21 and then traveling to Los Angeles to face the LA Blues (5-5-5) on June 23rd. When asked about his expectations for the upcoming west coast road trip, Coach Bal replied with a smile, “6 points.” The Lions are recovering leading scorer Gibson Bardsley for the trip after a one game suspension.
Dayton returns home for a double Dutch header, beginning with the Women’s team (2-0-1 CK) against the Atlanta Silverbacks (2-2-1 CK) at 5:30, followed by the men’s Dutch Lions matchup with the Charlotte Eagles (3-2-5).
Photo Credit: Jeremi Blurton, www.jeremiblurton.com