AWAY WIN AGAIN

Highland Heights, KY  July 3, 2018

The Dayton Dutch Lions (7-2-3) pushed their lead at the top of the Great Lakes Division to 7 points with a 1-0 road win over the Cincinnati Dutch Lions (4-3-3).  The victory snapped a four-game hold that the CDL held over Dayton during the past two seasons.  The overall series is tied once again at 2-2-3 with the final game of the 2018 trilogy next Friday, July 13, 2018.

DDL FC continued their unbeaten away record at 5-0-1 while ending Cincinnati's club record 7 game unbeaten streak.  Dayton has gotten a win on every team's pitch except Lansing where they got a draw.  The focus they bring to away matches has been excellent all season.

The match was a back and forth affair with several big plays in each half that could have turned the game.  But the one play that counted the most in the end was JJ Williams (Montgomery, AL/Kentucky) game winning goal in the 49th minute.  The score was the result of some nifty passing and a one-touch shot.  As the second half was just underway, Dayton was pressuring high on the pitch.  David Lianes (Spain/Dayton) took a quick throw-in to Jackson Dietrich (Las Vegas, NV/Wright State) who turned and on the dribble found Jalim Bayo (Columbus, OH/Wright State).  They combined for a give-n-go at the top of the penalty area that drew three defenders to Jackson. His square pass was perfectly weighted into the path of Williams whose right footed one-touch shot was in the upper right corner beyond the outstretched arms of the CDL keeper.  No one expected this to be the only goal of the night with the amount of attacking from both teams, but it was and the Lions earned three important points.

"This was a great result for us," said Head Coach Dan Griest. "Not only does it strengthen our hold on first place, but it puts the division title and playoffs completely in our own control. I really like our focus right now as a team and staff."

"Cincinnati is a very strong club and we needed to rebound from the loss last week. The boys executed the game plan and increased the pace of the match in the second 45 minutes which gave us the advantage we needed to get the win.  The effort put forth was outstanding and we had a lot of players who had high level performances."

The game started under some dark skies and rain that passed after the first 10 minutes.  Dayton made several changes to their starting lineup and the positions some players would play.  Coach Griest elected to start Antoine Ravera (France/Urbana) and Jacob Moore (Ashland, MO/Oakland) on the wings to try and take advantage of their speed and aggressiveness on the ball. Dayton wanted to stretch the pitch early.  Coach Griest also moved center forward and leading scorer, Tate Robertson (Springfield, OH/Bowling Green), to the #10 spot to give him more freedom to roam the midfield.

In the opening 15 minutes, Dayton was in control and possession was in their favor. They had several half chances, but could not find the opening goal.  As the half continued, Cincinnati started to get a rhythm and had several very good chances.

In the 25th minute, a CDL attacker split the defense, but Jack Steele (Springboro, OH/Dayton) was off his line and made a foot save.  The ball rebounded and a CDL midfielder nailed a second shot.  Steele was back to his feet and pushed the shot wide.  Over the next 20 minutes, Cincinnati earned three corner kicks, was called offsides several times and had several shots as they pushed forward.  The half ended at 0-0 as Cincinnati was not able to take advantage of their possession.

Coach Griest shared, "The game was running away from us a bit, so the halftime whistle was welcome.  At the same time, I liked how we played for each other.  I was confident that we could and would play better in the second half and we did. Robertson was able to find more of the play and really controlled the middle of the pitch.  His influence on the match was so important for us."

Just 4 minutes after the restart, Dayton got their game winning goal.  It was Williams 4th goal of the year and third in the last three games.  Dietrich got his 5th assist of the season.

The game plan worked as Robertson was named Man of the Match for his work in the midfield.  Two Lions were able to make their 2018 debuts as Fitzroy Cummings (Jamaica/Iowa CC) and Tristan Lyle (Beavercreek, OH/Wright State) came on in the second half.

The visitors had the better of the play for the remainder of the match with several close scoring chances to put the game away. The entire team defended well and Steele played confidently to secure the win and the shutout.

RELATED: GREAT LAKES DIVISION STANDINGS

Dayton has two games remaining as they travel back to the NKU soccer field on Friday, July 13 for the final away match versus Cincinnati.

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 - https://www.uslpdl.com/game/show/20627140