Aaron Schoenfeld scores three and is currently leaden scorer in the League with 12 goals
Dayton, OH, July 6 2014 - Aaron Schoenfeld had a hat trick to lead the Dayton Dutch Lions FC (5-11-2) to a 3-1 victory against the Charlotte Eagles (5-9-2) at the Queens Sports Complex on Saturday night. The Columbus Crew loanee would put one away in the first half and would score twice in five minutes late in the second half to lift his side to victory and take the lead in the race for the USLPRO Golden Boot with his 10th, 11th, and 12th goal of the season.
Dayton struck first in the eighth minute when Aaron Schoenfeld took a header from Cameron Vickers and put it in just below the crossbar past Charlotte goalkeeper Alec Kann giving Dayton the lead. The Lions sat back in defense after that and Charlotte would have several chances in the first half, but they would not get past Dayton’s keeper Matt Williams.
In the second half the Eagles almost evened the score when Darren Toby took a header off a cross but Williams managed to pin it against the post to keep it out of the net. Charlotte’s pressure would eventually pay off in the fifty ninth minute however as a scramble in the Dayton penalty area ended with Johnny Leathers putting home a finish from close range to give the Eagles an equalizer. The Dutch Lions responded strongly to the Eagles goal with Coach Van Druenen bringing in Harada, Garner and Walker and this paid off with the game changing with the Lions taking over control of the game. This resulted in a near gaol off a header of Schoenfeld off a cross from the right side but the ball missed the goal by inches. However, the Lions took a 2-1 lead right after that when Schoenfeld put the Lions back ahead in the seventy sixth minute when he put another header into the net off a free kick from Shintaro Harada. Two minutes later, the Lions had a perfect counter attack when Garner was launched in the right side. he cut back and saw Thuriere wide open in he middle. Charlotte’s keeper Kann would tackle Sebastian Thuriere as he broke in on the goal, resulting in a foul and red card. A penalty kick was awarded and Schoenfeld completed his hat trick with a low shot to the left corner.
Charlotte tried to get back into the game when Zak Boggs took a header off a cross by Bilal Duckett and almost closed the gap to one, but Williams again came up huge with a diving save and punched the ball out. The game would end and the Dutch Lions would claim their second win against Charlotte this season.
Dayton Dutch Lions FC Coach Sid van Druenen had this to say about the game. “It is always good to get a win, especially on the road. The boys put together a great team performance and I am proud of that. This is our fifth win on the road this season. Now we have four games at home and it’s time we get points at home as well. Schoenfeld was great for us today, scoring the first hat trick in club history. He works hard every game and today that resulted in three goals.”
The Dayton Dutch Lions FC (5-11-2) return home to DOC Stadium in West Carrollton to play the Harrisburg City Islanders (3-7-4) on Saturday, July 12th at 7pm. They play at home again on Saturday, July 19th as they take on the Charlotte Eagles (5-9-2) at 7pm.
Dayton Dutch Lions FC-Charlotte Eagles 3-1
8’ Schoenfeld, Vickers 1-0
59’ Leathers 1-1
76’ Schoenfeld, Harada 2-1
80’ Schoenfeld, pk 3-1
Dayton Dutch Lions FC: Williams, Vickers (Walker), Schoenfeld (Broekhuizen), Kissinger (Garner), Felix (Harada), Wiet, Smith, Granger, Friedman, Thuriere (Clemens), DeLass
Charlotte Eagles: Kann (Duckworth), Newman (Ibikunle), Leathers (Dixon), Gold, Duckett, Yates, Toby (Boggs), Thompson, Sekyere, Herrera, Guzman (Geno)