The Dutch Lions overcame a difficult start to the season to put on an impressive second-half display, on route to 9 points and 5th place in USL2’s Valley Conference. “After a slow start result-wise we got into a better flow the second half of the season,” said head coach Hans Pascoal.
The Dutch Lions secured two wins and two ties from the final six games, an incredible turnaround from the first six winless games. A key reason for that was the spark provided by two late additions to the squad: Bobo Kikonda and Gui Vivaldini.
A highlight of the season was the 4-1 thumping of FC Buffalo on July 8th to move ahead of them in the standings. On that game, Pascoal recalls, “all the things we had worked on all season came together.” The win against rivals Kings Hammer also was memorable, as a late game-winning goal secured the three points.
The team was full of young talent this year. “Many of our players are still very young and early in their college careers so there are a lot of players we hope to see back and that are exciting to watch in the future,” said Pascoal.
Overall, the Dutch Lions are primed to continue to develop and compete for a title. Pascoal noted, many players “have already mentioned they'd like to come back to score more wins for the Dayton Dutch Lions [next season]!”