Dayton, OH, 6/9, 2018 – Dayton Dutch Lions FC (4-1-1) fall from the unbeaten ranks as Lansing United (4-0-3) move back to the top of the division with a 3-1 come from behind win. The Lions led for most of the match as JJ Williams (Montgomery, AL/Kentucky) scored in the 19th minute off a Tate Robertson (Springfield, OH/Bowling Green) corner kick. The home team unfortunately gave up 3 goals in the final 18 minutes of the match and dropped to 2nd in the Great Lakes standings with a game in hand.
Starting XI : Stovall, Barrios, Schluter, Hutton, Dietrich, Williams, Slade, Robertson, Bayo, Lianes, Dupont
Match Day #6 was played under thunderous clouds as the kickoff was delayed 30 minutes for the weather to clear. Once the game started both teams were on the front foot pushing the action. The visitors got the first scoring chance of the match when they switched play on the counter attack and their left wing collected the ball with an open net in front of him. His first touch was a bit heavy and Man of the Match, David Lianes (Spain/Dayton) came across the goal mouth to clear the ball away. The Lions were creating chances as well and just missed when a Chris Dupont (Canada/CDLFC/Dyanmo) cross slid past an onrushing Jackson Dietrich (Las Vegas, NV/Wright State).
In the 18th minute, Robertson was fouled outside the box and Dietrich's direct kick was deflected out of bounds for the first corner kick of the match. Robertson placed the corner kick at the center of the goalie box where Williams' header beat the United keeper and the Lions led 1-0.
Both teams continued to push the pace of the match as the game was moving from end to end. Lansing just missed getting on the scoreboard when they once again switched play from the right side to the left. The Lansing winger's cross went across the entire penalty area with several players missing the chance to poke it home. The home team countered with another Robertson to Williams corner kick-header, but this time the shot went over the crossbar. Just prior to the halftime whistle, Robertson was able to jump on a bad pass in the back and was free on goal. His angle was tough and the United keeper did well to get out and push the shot wide of goal. Halftime score remained at 1-0 Lions.
"This was a see-saw first half with neither team gaining any momentum at any point," said Head Coach Dan Griest. "It was good to grab the lead early and for JJ to get his first goal of the season. They were very dangerous on the counter-attack with speed all across the attacking front four. Their guys on top interchanged positions often and created several marking challenges for us. We were fortunate to come out of the half ahead, but at the same time we had a couple chances to double the lead."
The second half started with a great scoring chance for the Lions. Dupont was played down the right wing and his dribbling move turned the outside back inside out as Dupont went by him. His cross was just a bit long as both Robertson and Williams could not get a touch. Much like the first half, the game was being played wide open with both teams looking for the next goal.
Federico Barrios (Columbia/Dayton) made four simple saves and had only been tested once from long range. In the 65th minute, the Lions got a golden scoring opportunity off the counter attack. Dietrich won a ball near midfield and found Robertson down the right flank.. He dribbled to the penalty area and played a low square ball into the box. Subsitute Emiel Wendt (Netherlands/v.v. Noordwijk) was making the near post run, but he could not reach the ball as it came across the goalmouth. This missed chance would come back to haunt the home team just a few minutes later.
With the field being stretched at both ends, the visitors got the break they needed to even the score. A long ball down the right side created a foot race for centerback Harvey Slade (England/Wright State) and Lansing's winger. As they got to the end line, the winger cut the ball back and Slade slipped. This allowed for a wide open ball to be played back to an onrushing United player who was able to shoot first time. His shot appeared to be covered by Barrios, but at the last minute was deflected behind him and the score was tied with 17 minutes to play.
Neither team settled the play, but instead were pushing for the go ahead goal. Lansing got the next best chance as a long cross into the box dropped nicely for Lansing and the shot was on target, but Lianes for the second time in the match steered the ball wide with an open net behind him. Dayton got another great counter attack and were in the final third with a three-on-two break. Robertson dribbled with pace down the middle of the field and was able to draw the final defender. He played the perfect through pass to Wendt who was challenged by the onrushing Lansing keeper. Wendt kept his shot low, but it went just wide of the far post.
With just seven minutes to play, Lansing got the winning goal. As they brought the ball up field, the Lions were struggling to get men behind the ball. A nice through ball beat the back line and the United winger hit a curling shot just inside the far post. With the lead relinquished, Dayton struggled to find the creativity to open the Lansing defense. They pushed forward with numbers, but could not combine any quality passes. This led to a final goal in stoppage time for the visitors as they scored on a 40 yard breakaway to make the final score 3-1.
Coach Griest shared, "It was frustrating to see us give up 3 goals in the last 20 minutes as we had played well up till then. As we all know, if you do not put good teams away when you have the chance, they can and will come back to punish you. And that happened tonight. Lansing United is a good team, but so are we."
"We will regroup and prepare for this coming week. We have two very important road matches. We travel to the Michigan Bucks for a mid-week match and then to Lansing on Saturday. I look for us to respond positively to this loss and to get results this coming week."
Lianes was selected Man of the Match. Coach Griest shared, “David had two goal saving clearances and was a real defensive force all night. He anticipated well throughout the match and was our best player for the 90 minutes.”
The Lions next match is Wednesday, June 13th away versus the Michigan Bucks. Kickoff is at 7:30pm at the Royal Oaks High School Stadium. The Lions defeated the Bucks earlier this season at this same venue 2-1 after trailing early in the match.
Dayton will not be home again until Saturday, June 23rd when they play host to the Cincinnati Dutch Lions. Kickoff is 7:00pm. Tickets are $10 adults and $6 youth, military and veterans at the gate (5 and under free). Specially priced discounted tickets are available for groups of 12 or more by calling the ticket office at 937 530 2123.
To keep up with all the latest news on the Lions, follow us on Facebook @DaytonDutchLionsFC and on Twitter @DaytonDutchLion.
FULL MATCH STATS 6/9 Dayton Dutch Lions FC vs Lansing United
MATCH SUMMARY
Venue: DOC Stadium, West Carrollton, OH
Referee: Mike Nickerson
Attendance: 202
LINEUPS:
Dayton Dutch Lions FC: Barrios, Schluter (Koositra 76′), Stovall (Hughes 84′), Slade, Lianes, Dietrich, Hutton (DeRoy 84'), Bayo (Lenius 69′), Williams (Moore 80"), Dupont (Wendt 57′), Robertson. Unused substitute: Steele
Lansing United: Mwembia, Ackon, Strack (Enzugusi 59'), Wetungu, Freitag, Pimlott, Carr (Ruddock 59'), Ifaturoti (Wright 89'), L. Jones (Pouna 59'), D. Jones, Moni (Sokalski 85') Unused substitute: Conti
SCORING SUMMARY
DDL – Williams 14′ (Robertson)
LU – Ifaturoti 71'
LU – D. Jones 83′ (Freitag)
LU – Enzugusi 90′ (Wright)
DISCIPLINE
DCR – Stovall 40′ Unsporting Behavior
LU – Frieitag 56′ Unsporting Behavior
LU – Head Coach 57' RED CARD Dissent