By Jon Johnson
MONTGOMERY – With its back firmly against the wall, Dothan United got a lift off the bench and responded with two second-half goals for a 2-1 win at Montgomery United FC on Wednesday night.
In what was a crucial victory for the Dragons in their quest to win a South Central Division championship in the Southern Conference and also earn a USL2 playoff berth, the Dragons were without head coach Ricky Davey for the league matchup.
Davey had a planned family trip for this week prior to signing a contract with Dothan United in January, thus assistant coach Connor McGoldrick is handling the duties as the interim head coach with assistants Tommy Shepherd and Mike White by his side.
“We just took the team through the game, but he’s the man,” McGoldrick said of Davey. “Ricky asks for our opinion, so we get to have an input.”
The trio certainly pushed the right buttons in the second half after Montgomery United held a 1-0 lead at the break following a penalty kick early in the match.
The Dragons made a couple of substitutions to begin the final 45 minutes, and made several more later in the half that proved beneficial.
Evan Howard came off the bench to begin the second half and got the assist on the first goal of the night for the Dragons as Rodrigo Lopes streaked down the right side following a pass from Howard and connected on a shot into the net at the 49:42 mark to tie things up.
The winning goal came off the foot of Dakota Henry on a rebound following a strong shot off the left side of the goal from Justin Nelson – both of whom entered in the second half.
“We have a lot of depth and it shows when you can make changes and that’s what happens,” McGoldrick said of the two goals. “We were trying to get more control of the game and fortunately for us we have guys who can come in and do what they need to do. It was a gutsy performance in the second half.”
Henry simply said he was in the right place at the right time on the deciding goal with around 14 minutes left in the match.
“I got a little bit lucky, but if you put yourself in positions in the box, good things happen,” Henry said. “I feel like in the first half we sat back a little bit and let them get the best of us and have more of the momentum.
“But as soon as we switched it on, we started going forward. It’s easier to defend whenever we are attacking and in their box. I think that’s what changed it, really.”
Nelson showed some good footwork to get in position to make the strong shot on goal that resulted in Henry’s score off the rebound.
“I saw an opening in the goal and he made a good save,” Nelson said of the goalkeeper. “I’m just glad it ended up that we got the result we wanted.”
Nelson agrees the strong depth of the Dragons was a key factor in the win.
“That’s why the level of training is so hard because there is no A or B team … it’s just one team,” Nelson said. “I think that unity is what allows us to come on and give our all, whether it’s five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes – we’re all one team. All of us are working hard.”
Dothan United and The Swarm FC are tied atop the South Central Division standings with 23 points each, though The Swarm FC won a home game over the Dragons, 3-1, last Sunday in Austell, Ga. The two played to a scoreless tie at Rip Hewes Stadium in Dothan on June 3.
The Swarm (6-0-5) only has one league match left against East Atlanta next Wednesday. In contrast, Dothan United has two league matches left, both against Apotheos FC. The two teams will meet in Atlanta next Wednesday before finishing the regular season at Rip Hewes Stadium on Saturday, July 11.
Yago Darub was back in goal for the Dragons against Montgomery after having to sit out the past two league games (1-1 tie at Columbus and 3-1 loss at the Swarm FC) due to a suspension for his actions during a match against East Atlanta FC on June 13.
He played well throughout in the road win Wednesday, making several outstanding saves.
The game marked the debut of the newest Dragon, Iman Ouedraogo, Jr., who has been playing for Lansing (Mich.) City in the USL2 this season.
Ouedraogo, Jr., is an attacker with great speed who started the match and was very active on the offensive end. He’s excited to join Dothan United.
“I’m really thankful to be part of this team,” Ouedraogo, Jr., said. “I hope we keep this energy for the next game. I think when we sub in, the energy doesn’t drop … it’s really good.”
The Dragons have a friendly home match this Friday against Tallahassee SC starting at 7 p.m. After the game, there will be a fireworks extravaganza presented by Eye Center South and produced by Pyro Productions and Ill Eagle Fireworks.
The team is also hosting The Salvation Army non-perishable food drive. Anyone bringing a non-perishable food item to the game will receive a ticket for the final regular season game of the season on July 11.
There is also a special deal for the game on Friday. To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, adult tickets are $10 and children 12-under tickets are $2.50.
