A VALUABLE POINT

 

Dayton, OH  June 29, 2018

The Great Lakes Division leading Dayton Dutch Lions (6-2-3) earn a valuable 2-2 draw versus the Michigan Bucks (4-3-3).  Trailing for most of the match, the Lions were able to come-from-behind twice to gain a valuable point in their playoff hunt. Emiel Wendt (Netherlands/v.v. Noordwijk) was the Man of the Match as he scored a brace to bring the Lions even.

The final match of the 2018 trilogy gave Dayton 7 points out of the possible 9 and is the first season the Lions go undefeated against the Bucks.  The mid-week win at Derby City and tonight's draw were a great way to rebound from last weekend's loss. Of even greater importance now is the second match of the year with our brother Cincinnati Dutch Lions (3-2-3) this coming week.

Typical Ohio summer weather was a factor as the temperatures were in the low 90's and humidity was very high.  It did not impact the start of the match as both teams were pressing and pushing the attack.  The first chance was earned by Michigan as they played a long ball down the middle of the pitch.  The Lions defenders got split and the Bucks forward was clear at the top of the 18.  Goalkeeper, Corey Whisenhunt (Kettering, OH/Dynamo), was quickly off his line, but late to the ball.  The resulting collision led to the referee pointing to the penalty spot and Whisenhunt being issued a yellow card.

The Bucks forward sent Whisenhunt the wrong way and Michigan led 1-0 after just 7 minutes of play. The next 20 minutes belonged to the Bucks as they were controlling the midfield and finding openings in Dayton's defense.  They had several shots on goal and three corner kicks. The Lions were under constant pressure and were struggling to get into the match.

At the 30th minute, a hydration break was provided for both teams and it seemed to benefit the Lions greatly.

"We struggled in the opening half hour and the water break gave us a moment to reset, adjust and discuss what we needed to do," said Head Coach Dan Griest. "We played the last 15 minutes of the half much better and it gave us some valuable confidence going into the second half."

"Our boys have had success against the Bucks this season, but it is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work, good spacing and excellent communication. We lacked that at the start tonight.  At the same time, I could not be more proud of the changes our players made and we were the better team the last hour."

JJ Williams (Montgomery, AL/Kentucky), Tate Robertson (Springfield, OH/Bowling Green) and Jackson Dietrich (Las Vegas, NV/Wright State) all  had shots on goal that tested the Bucks keeper.  The Lions had several dangerous corner kicks as well, but the halftime whistle came with Michigan still leading 1-0.

The halftime statistics all leaned towards Michigan's early dominance.  The Lions made one substitution at the break with Ben Leba-Kamanya (Ghana/Dayton) needing to come off with a leg injury and Sam DeRoy (Powell, OH/CDL FC) taking his midfield spot.

The Lions continued their positive play and were finding space on the wings. In the 54th minute, Robertson found the head of Jalim Bayo (Columbus, OH/Wright State) at the far post. Bayo put the ball perfectly into the goal mouth, but the Lions could not find the final touch.

Right around the hour mark, Dayton brought on three substitutions that had an immediate impact. Wendt, Abdul Kooistra (Madison, WI/Northern Kentucky) and Antoine Ravera (Spain/Urbana) entered the game and tilted the play Dayton's way. Ravera had several quality runs into the attacking third and was starting to stretch the field for the Lions.

In the 62nd minute the game was tied.  Playing through the midfield, Robertson held the ball up and was able to wait for Kooistraa to come on the overlap.  He played Kooistra who quickly cut the ball back onto his left foot.  His cross into the box found Wendt who used his size to get to the ball first and his diving header was perfectly placed to tie the score 1-1.

The Bucks earned the next good opportunity as they were awarded a direct kick from 25 yards out.  The shot caught the end of the wall and the referee whistled for a handball at the edge of the penalty area.  The second free kick was on target, but the wall jumped up to clear it and erase the danger.

Both teams were looking for a winner and the play became wide open. End-to-end play, bypassing the midfield, provided both teams good chances, corner kicks and shots on goal.  Back and forth was the action.

Each team brought on substitutes for the last 10 minutes. Jacob Moore (Ashland, MO/Oakland) came on for Dietrich and moved up to the right wing.

In the 82nd minute, the visitors came down the right wing and a cross was whipped into the box.  An onrushing Buck was able to head the ball over the shoulder of Whisenhunt for a 2-1 lead.  The Bucks celebrated as they felt the game winner was just scored and they had their fourth win in a row and a valuable 3 points.

Coach Griest shared, "Our boys really showed some character tonight.  To have played such a good second half and to give up a goal late could have easily been a reason to put our heads down and give up.  Instead, much like they have done all year, they focused, continued to work for each other and got us a result."

Just two minutes after going down, the home team responded in a big way.  Moore was very active and won the ball at the corner of the penalty area.  As he dribbled forward, he slowed to draw the center back over which opened the center of the box.  Moore saw Wendt and provided an outside of the foot flick into his path.  Wendt's first touch slowed the ball, but it ran away from him.  Wendt, a Bucks defender and keeper all converged on the ball and Wendt was able to get there first and toe poke the ball into the back of the net. Wendt's brace tied the score 2-2.

The 4th referee shared their would be 5 minutes of stoppage time.  Neither team wanted a tie as they continued the up and down pace.  Each team earned two corners and each goalkeeper came up with a game-saving save in stoppage time to preserve the tie.

The Bucks got a breakaway that had their forward all alone with Whisenhunt.  As the Michigan attacker looked down for his last dribble, Whisenhunt came flying out cutting down the shooting angle and pushing the shot wide.

The Lions came right back with Ravera beating his defender down the left side.  His far post cross was met by Moore who provided a powerful header that the Bucks keeper just pushed over the bar.

The final whistle ended the 95+ minutes of exciting action deadlocked at two goals apiece.  The Lions moved four points clear at the top of the division.

RELATED: Great Lakes Division Standings

Dayton has three games remaing with the next two on the road versus the Cincinnati Dutch Lions.  Both matches will be at NKU soccer field.  Tuesday, July 3 and Friday, July 13 with kickoff at 7pm.

The final home game will be Sunday, July 15th when they play host to Lansing United.  Kickoff is 4:00pm. 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 vs Michigan 6/30