UNBEATEN ON THE ROAD

 

East Lansing, MI June 16, 2018 - The Dayton Dutch Lions FC (5-1-2) remain in first place of the Great Lakes Division and unbeaten on the road after their 1-1 draw versus Lansing United (4-0-4).  An outstanding team effort on a very hot and humid evening gives the Lions another valuable road point as they start the second half of the season. Jackson Dietrich (Las Vegas, NV/Wright State) scored his 5th goal and Alex Popovich (Louisville, KY/Vermont) comes up with multiple goal-stopping saves to get the result.

This was a rematch from just a week ago when Lansing defeated Dayton 3-1 in a come-from-behind win. In Dayton, United Head Coach Nate Miller received a red card and was serving his one-game suspension tonight.

The home team wasted no time getting into the attack, as they blasted the opening kickoff long where a Lansing forward was able to get a shot off in 20 seconds. Popovich made his first save of the night.

The Lions got into a rhythm early and were finding openings with their midfield passing.  They took several long shots that were wide of the net.  In the 20th minute, Dutch Lions' midfielder Antoine Ravera (Spain/Urbana) split the United defense and shot the ball with the outside of his left foot forcing the Lansing goalkeeper into a diving one-handed save.

Dayton continued to control the match and the majority of possession.

Unfortunately, a defensive slip allowed Lansing another good scoring chance. In the 34th minute, a United attacker was able to get one-on-one into the penalty area as the Lions defender fell to the ground. Popovich was quick off his line and was able to take the ball off the Lansing forward's foot as he dribbled on goal.

Lansing, against the run of play, found the opening goal in the 44th minute.  A throw-in down the right flank was crossed into the box. The United attacker collected the ball, turned and buried the shot into the lower-left corner for a 1-0 lead.

“I was disappointed to give up that goal so late in the half" said Head Coach Dan Griest. "I felt that we had the better of the play and for a road game we were where we wanted to be to get in to half 0-0.  The Lansing attacker made a nice turn and shot and now we had to chase the game in the second half.  At the same time, I felt that if we continued to play the way we did in the first half, we could get a result."

The second half began the same way the first half ended, with the visitors controlling most of the possession. In the 58th minute, all of that possession finally paid off as the Dutch Lions found an equalizer. Tate Robertson (Springfield, OH/Bowling Green) was dribbling through the midfield and made a nifty pass to the feet of JJ Williams (Montgomery, AL/Kentucky).  Williams played the ball over the Hoops’ backline and found Dietrich who chipped the Lansing keeper. United’s right back tried to clear the ball off the line, but could not as Emiel Wendt (Netherlands/v.v. Noordwijk) was running stride for stride and kept him from the ball.

"The boys gave us a solid second 45 minutes and really started to push the play.  We were creating chances on attack and keeping play in our end,  It was just a matter of time for us to get a goal," shared Coach Griest. "All three of our forwards had a part in Dietrich's goal which is good to see.  They are starting to really work together."

The next 20 minutes yielded little as the heat was starting to take a toll and neither team could get any real scoring chances.  The play got a bit chippy with each team earning a yellow card.

With Dayton in possession, they reversed the field and played back to Popovich who mishit his clearance.  A Lansing midfielder jumped on the opportunity and shot from about 40 yards out, however, his shot sailed over the empty net in the 79th minute.

The final ten minutes belonged to the Lions and they almost found a winner in the 86th and 89th minutes as Wendt was able to get down the left flank and dribble on goal.  Though tough angles, Wendt got off shots both times that the Lansing keeper had to save to preserve the 1-1 draw.

Drama in the final minute came via a Lansing midfield substitute, who was on the pitch for 11 minutes, got tangled with a Lion and tripped him from behind. He received a yellow card for the foul, but then he turned and stepped on the down Lion.  The referee saw what happened and issued a straight red card in the 89th minute.

The final whistle brought an end to a very tough game and the point earned kept the Lions in control of the division title race.

Sam DeRoy (Powell, OH/CDL FC) was selected Man of the Match for his tenacious defensive work in the midfield.  DeRoy thwarted the Lansing attack over and over again with his positioning and strong tackles.

Dayton will be home this 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 – Dayton Dutch Lions vs Lansing United