The Dayton Dutch Lions FC (2-7-2, 8 points) lost their first game tonight in a three-game trip to the West Coast, falling to the Orange County Blues.
“This is again a disappointing result for us,” Dutch Lions head coach Sid van Druenen stated. “We knew we needed to get points here tonight to stay in the race for the playoffs. We got a good goal that gave us the lead tonight. but had a weak five minutes where Orange County scored three goals.”
The Blues put on pressure early, but it was the Lions that took the lead when a long ball came to the feet of Aaron Schoenfeld who took a shot that the Blues goalkeeper nearly saved, but Matt Walker was right there to put the ball in the open net giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute. The game completely changed though in a four-minute span when Orange County scored three times between the 18th and 22nd minute.
The Dutch Lions FC came out with the same lineup in the 2nd half hoping to turn the momentum but they could not create any chances. It was actually the Orange County Blues that put the game away in the 64th minute when Chris Cortez scored his 2nd goal of the game, making the score 4-1.
Van Druenen made some substitutions and they paid off in the 78th minute as Eli Garner hit home a loose ball in the box, changing the score to 4-2.
The Dutch Lions did close the gap in the 94th minute when Joel DeLass scored his first goal of the season, making the score 4-3.
There was little time remaining and the score did not change despite a last-second push from Dayton. Their focus now turns to recovery and preparing for the LA Galaxy II on Sunday evening.
