Team 1 2 Final
Orlando City 2 0 2
Dayton Dutch Lions 2 0 2
Scoring Summary:
OC - Matt Luzunaris (unassisted) 4
DAY - Joel DeLass (unassisted) 21
OC - Anthony Pulis (penalty kick) 29
DAY - Akeem Priestly (Shane Smith) 31
Misconduct Summary:
DAY - Nixon Dias (Caution, Intentional handball) 28
OC - Anthony Pulis (Caution, Unsporting behavior) 62
DAY - Joel Delass (Caution, Unsporting behavior) 64
OC - Kieron Bernard (Caution, Unsporting behavior) 72
OC - Luke Boden (Caution, Delaying restart) 75
DAY - Garrett Jan Bartels (Caution, Unsporting behavior) 80
Lineups:
Orlando City – Miguel Gallardo, Jerome Mechack, Kieron Bernard, Luke Boden, Kyle Davies, Adama Mbengue, Anthony Pulis (Ian Fuller 77), James O’Connor, Charlie Campbell, Matt Luzunaris (Dennis Chin 74), Jamie Watson (Kevin Molino 64)
Dayton Dutch Lions – Matt Williams, Greg Preciado, Nixon Dias, Mettin Copier (Toric Robinson 90), Shane Smith, Joel DeLass, Mikael McNamara, Kyle Knotek (Bret Jones 70), Gerrit Jan Bartels (Daniel Holowaty 80), Eli Garner, Akeem Priestly (Gibson Bardsley 66)
Match Facts:
Time of Game – 8:15 p.m.
Weather – Clear, thunderstorms just prior to match
Bellbrook, Ohio - Orlando City Soccer Club got on the board quick, but the Dayton Dutch Lions responded in kind. The feisty match in the suburbs of Dayton ended in a 2-2 draw. Orlando remains at the top of the USL PRO table, but has seen their lead shrink to just three points on Charleston.
Orlando City got the scoring started early when Matt Luzunaris pounced on a loose ball just outside of Dayton’s 18-yard box. After a couple quick touches to settle himself, Luzunaris slipped the ball past a shocked Matt Williams for a 1-0 lead and his fourth goal of the season.
Dayton evened the score with a similar play roughly 15 minutes later. In a sequence started by a Jerome Mechack giveaway, Joel DeLass grabbed the open ball at the top of the City 18 and fired into the crowd in front of the net. It sailed through and past a blinded Miguel Gallardo to knot the match at 1-1.
Minutes later, a unique sequence occurred. Nixon Dias was whistled and carded for a hand ball just steps outside of the penalty area. On the ensuing free kick, Adama Mbengue’s strike at goal found the raised hand of Mettin Copier. A yellow card was not issued to Copier, but City was awarded a penalty kick. Anthony Pulis converted to give City the 2-1 lead.
Roughly 90 seconds later, Dayton’s Akeem Priestly slipped behind the defense on a Shane Smith service and headed in an equalizer. Both sides pushed for a third, but the halftime whistle came with the scoreline even at 2-2.
The second half seemed to be in CIty’s favor early on, but Orlando could not capitalize on their chances. As the half wore on, Dayton gained more possession, making it a very even match. Dennis Chin provided a spark for Orlando with his darting runs in the box, but he was unable to ignite a victory during his 20 minutes on the pitch.
There will be no rest for the Lions as they now head to Pittsburgh for a rematch with the Riverhounds tomorrow night. The last Orlando/Pittsburgh clash ended in thrilling fashion, with Ian Fuller netting the winner just 2 minutes before the end of regulation. To follow the match, tune in to Orlando City’s match day Twitter feed, @OCMatchDayLive. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com.
