Dayton Dutch Lions Surprised By Wilmington Hammerheads

August 4, 2013 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Dayton Dutch Lions News Release


Sunday, August 4, 2013. DAYTON, OH ... The Dayton Dutch Lions (9-6-8) found themselves in a precarious position many times Sunday night, and even the usually tough Dayton defense couldn't prevent the Wilmington Hammerheads (8-11-4) from hammering home a loss for the Dutch Lions. Wilmington won the match 1-0 on sheer physicality with a shot by Hammerhead forward Kyle Greig off a Shawn Nicklaw corner kick in the 57th minute.

Dayton's road trip seemed to be dogging them as they began the first half flat on their feet, with uncharacteristically troublesome touches when they did get to the ball. Wilmington took advantage of the decreased energy and made several runs toward Dayton goalkeeper Matt Williams, but the Dutch Lions' defense stayed with the big Hammerhead forwards, Kyle Isenberger and Kyle Greig, keeping Wilmington scoreless in the first half with smart positioning and great steps into the ball's path.

Dayton missed a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute with a brilliant run down the left flank by Eli Garner who threaded a precise cross from the endline that found Hammerhead keeper Phil Tuttle diving too early, and with the ball making a beeline for the right goal pocket Wilmington defender Uriah Bentick stepped just in front of the goal line and sent the ball out, denying Dayton their chance. The teams headed to the locker room with no score on the board.

The second half started slow as well, and Wilmington used the physical talent they had to muscle the ball toward the Dayton goal. Gregory Preciado stepped up and denied a goal attempt by Wilmington's Shawn Nicklaw right off the bat in the 46th minute when Williams shot off the line only to watch a volley that tripped toward the goal, with Preciado assuring it didn't make it in. Several moments later, the Wilmington score did make it in and the Hammerheads went ahead 1-0.

After the Hammerhead goal, Dayton shifted their play to match the physicality of the Wilmington team and upped the tempo of the game. There were several opportunities for a Dayton score, including a shot by Gibson Bardsley from the 40 that rocketed in but was denyed by Tuttle, and an 85th minute Shintaro Harada corner kick which Joe Broekhuizen got his head on but turned too much, sending it just wide of the goal. The game ended with the Wilmington score as the only point, 1-0.

Dayton Coach Patrick Bal acknowledged the Dutch Lions lack of intensity. "There wasn't a lot of flow in the game," said Bal. "Their men were really physical and we weren't able to stay with them in the first 60 minutes of the game." He noted the adjustment the Dayton team made after the Wilmington goal. "After their score we made it a lot more physical--we played with them a lot tougher. There still wasn't a lot of flow offensively, although we got a couple of chances by Eli and Gibson's shot. We just weren't good enough today."

With three games left in the schedule, the Dutch Lions are still stalking a playoff position, the first in the relatively new club's history. Dayton travels to face Wilmington again in Legion Stadium on Friday August 9th, and then takes on the USL Pro's current first place team, Richmond Kickers, in their own City Stadium on Saturday August 10. The Dayton team returns home for the final league game of the season against the Harrisburg City Islanders (13-8-2) on Saturday, August 17th, at 7:30. For season and individual game tickets, visit the Dutch Lions website.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 4, 2013


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