Cape Coral, April 30 2016 - The Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC played their 2nd game of the season today against a strong Tampa Bay Rowdies 2. The Lions left Tampa with a 4-1 loss but despite the defeat the team played well considering just being in training a week playing against the 2nd strong opponent in 4 days.
The FGCD FC team played with a lot of passion and dedication. It was clear from the beginning that the opponent already had several weeks of pre-season training. They played well organized and as a team and took the lead early scoring 1-0 after 6 minutes. The Lions recovered quickly and put themselves back into the game when they scored the equalizer in the 14th minute. This gave the team confidence and they started to play better and better. Especially the defense did a good job. Despite the high work rate the Rowdies scored two goals just before halftime: 3-1.
In the second half the Lions were able to keep the game close until a goal in the 74th minute making the score 4-1. After the game, goalkeeper Jahdea commented: “I think overall we did fairly well all thing considered. With only having a few training sessions and one other game, having a match with a quality team and organization like the Rowdies. We have a lot to look forward to. Except for the goals - which were decent but avoidable - I was pleased and am excited with our potential going forward as we come into form this season”.
The Lions will play their next game on the road again on Wednesday when they travel to the East Coast again to take on another strong opponent: Boca Raton. The first home game will be May 15 when they play Kraze United at 5pm. You can purchase tickets for the game here. Kids come in for free.