Detroit City FC defeated Dayton Dynamo, 5-0, at Keyworth Stadium in front of 4,304 supporters on Saturday night.
Javi Bautista (Ashford) was waiting on the doorstep to tap in a rebound for the first goal of the night, in the 17th minute. Jeff Adkins (Butler) doubled the lead with an inspired individual effort, running down the left sideline, into the area before beating the keeper. Adkins took home M1 Imaging Man of the Match honors.
Zach Schewee (Bowling Green), City’s new all-time leader in minutes and matches played, scored his first-ever league goal at home on a blast from the top of the half-circle just before the halftime whistle.
Tommy Catalano (Oakland), who came on as a sub for the second half, scored twice in his 45 minutes of work.
Le Rouge took the pitch wearing commemorative neon kits that were auctioned off during the match. Proceeds raised in the silent auction were donated to Freedom House, a Detroit-based nonprofit organization that supports individuals fleeing persecution around the world.
City spent nearly the entire match on the front foot and entered the second half with a 3-0 lead. The second half turned out to be much more of the same as the Boys in Rouge kept a firm hold on the match.
After the match, head coach Ben Pirmann was appreciative of his team’s performance, but quick to shift focus on the next task at hand.
“We attacked very hard,” he said. “Our pressure was very good, but we have to make sure we’re dialed in for Friday night.”
Friday night, City welcomes Grand Rapids FC to Keyworth Stadium. The second meeting of these two is sure to be heated, with Le Rouge having lost the first meeting, 5-2, in Grand Rapids on June 10.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 1. Tickets for the second-to-last league home match of Keyworth’s inaugural season are available here.
City starting XI: 30 Lang, 20 Nance (2 Isaevski 74’), 4 Harris, 96 Sinclair, 23 Schewee, 9 Chomakov (11 Watson 38’), 18 Edwardson, 8 Adkins (7 Pliakos 57’), 25 Deakin, 10 Saydee, 33 Bautista (26 Catalano 46’)
Dayton starting XI: 88 Whisenhunt (1 Hansen 67’), 3 Collins (21 Bean 60’), 7 Johnson, 11 Kissinger, 10 Baye, 27 Cottrell, 26 Dwyer, 24 Myton, 4 Washington (22 Alemayehu 72’), 20 Hansson, 9 Schoonderwoerd
Scoring: Bautista (17’); Adkins (29’); Schewee (45+1); Catalano (77’, 81’)
Cards: Edwardson (57’); Baye (63’); Dwyer (82’); Hansson (86’)
– Mitch Gatzke / DCFC Staff Writer
