Alec Philippe scored a goal worthy of USL League Two Goal of the Week, but it wasn’t enough to push Dayton Dutch Lions FC past Oakland County FC on Friday night. Dayton fell by a score of 5-2 after they came back from 0-3 to 2-3 within 5 minutes.
“When Alec Philippe plays, it’s 100%. That was a beautiful goal,” said Dutch Lions FC Head Coach Sid van Druenen. “If everyone played with the same heart and energy, it would be different.”
Oakland County FC dominated the early minutes of the first half. Goals in the 17th and 19th minutes came from a free kick and penalty kick, respectively. In the 22nd minute, Oakland County FC finally scored during the run of play when their athletic striker outpaced Dayton’s back line and slotted home a goal. The Lions came roaring back before the halftime intermission. In the 28th minute, Philippe floated a cross into the box from the right wing, Michael Vogel ran onto it and finished from close range. Four minutes later, Philippe found himself on the other end of a scoring exchange. Blake Pittser played a long ball from Dayton’s back line. Philippe ran into the box underneath the service. He gathered the ball with his chest, swung his leg around, and volleyed it over the keeper and into the net. The Lions got the momentum and even scored the 3-3 but the goal was recalled because of offside.
After the come back the Lions came into the second half with confidence, but Oakland County FC netted two additional strikes in the second half, and any hope for a Dayton comeback was extinguished. Dayton has one final chance to earn a victory in front of a home crowd. The Dutch Lions FC host Grand Rapids FC on July 10 as a part of a doubleheader with the women's team.
