Dayton Dutch Lions FC host the Flint City Bucks in a midweek USL League Two action on Wednesday night. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 PM at DOC Stadium in West Carrollton.
More than halfway through the regular season without a win, Dayton is playing for pride. Despite the lack of results, the Dutch Lions FC men's team has proven there is no quit in the team.
“The attitude and work rate has been great from the guys still here,” said Dutch Lions FC Head Coach Sid van Druenen. “ I think they want to prove that they can play at this level and they will keep fighting to get that first win.”
There is also the opportunity to achieve an upset win and spoil another team’s playoff aspirations. Dayton nearly achieved such a result against the Bucks just a few weeks ago. The Dutch Lions played the reigning USL2 champions to a scoreless draw in Flint for much of the match, but the Bucks grabbed victory with a goal in the waning moments.
The Dutch Lions FC might be better poised for an upset this time around in front of a friendly crowd and without the rigors of travel.
“We displayed a solid defensive performance when we played at Flint, but created very little that game,” said Van Druenen. “We have improved offensively the past couple games and are creating multiple opportunities as well as scoring goals so I expect that to continue.”
The Dutch Lions FC have been finding ways to put balls into the net recently. In the last two matches, Dayton equaled its scoring output from the previous 6 games combined.
Scoring goals against a stingy Flint defense will still prove to be a difficult task. The Bucks are conceding fewer goals than all other USL2 Midwestern Conference teams by a large margin.
“We have struggled finding the back of the net and that is the final piece missing for us to get the wins,” said Van Druenen. “The good thing is that we are creating the chances, so it is just a matter of time for those chances to go in.”