Monday, June 27, 2011

Soul lose another heartbreaker

PHILADELPHIA (June 25, 2011)  – Despite the Philadelphia Soul (5-10) leading the Arizona Rattlers (13-2) for the majority of the contest, the National Conference-leading Rattlers were able to prove their dominance by outscoring the Soul 21-7 in the final quarter and come away with a 55-54 victory in front of 9,710 fans at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.

The Soul were left with 0:06 in the fourth quarter to respond to a late Arizona score, and decided to send out kicker Jon Striefsky to attempt a 44-yard field goal attempt.  With 0:03 remaining, the kick went wide-left as the Rattlers landed on the ball to escape Philadelphia with their sixth straight victory.

“It should be a lot easier to make that field goal than throw a ‘Hail Mary’,” said Soul head coach Mike Hohensee.  “We practice field goals a lot, and we don’t get to practice it in a regular area. We had to take our shot and try and make one.”

Soul quarterback Ryan Vena completed 18-of-32 (56.3%) for 226 yards and two touchdowns.  Vena also added three rushing touchdowns, his most in a game since May 8, 2010, where he scored four against the Cleveland Gladiators.  The receiving corps split receptions evenly, with Donovan Morgan catching five passes for 98 yards and one touchdown, Keith Stokes catching six passes for 64 yards, and Syvelle Newton with five catches for 47 yards.  Fullback Darnell Whitley also contributed, adding 16 yards and two touchdowns on four carries.

Rattlers receiver, and National Guard MVP of the Game, Rod Windsor struck first on a seven-yard over-the-wall touchdown catch from quarterback Nick Davila to give the Rattlers the lead at 12:04.  Morgan answered three minutes later with a 33-yard catch-and-run down the sideline to tie the game at 7-7.  After a late offensive holding penalty erased Morgan’s second touchdown of the quarter, the Soul continued pushing toward the end zone and finished with a three-yard touchdown run by Vena.

The second quarter had both teams add 20 points to the scoreboard.  Rattlers wide receiver Jason Geathers caught a 14-yard touchdown pass at 13:10, followed four minutes later by Soul receiver Larry Brackins out-battling a defender to haul in an 11-yard touchdown.  Arizona’s following drive was halted by a Mike Brown interception, his second of the game, allowing the Soul to extend their lead to 27-13 with a one-yard touchdown run by Vena.  In the final minute, Windsor and Geathers each added a touchdown reception, while fullback Darnell Whitley reached the end zone on a five-yard run to end the half with the Soul leading 34-27.

The Soul’s first possession of the third quarter, which took 7:31 off the clock and included five total penalties, ended with Whitley running in for a score from four yards out.  Both teams then traded one-yard touchdown runs, with the first by Geathers and second by Vena, to maintain the 47-34 Soul lead.

In the final frame, Windsor and Geathers again each added touchdown receptions, while Vena added his third rushing touchdown of the game.  After the Soul turned the ball over on downs, the Rattlers capped their final drive with a one-yard touchdown reception by receiver John Booker, giving Arizona a 55-54 lead with just 0:06 on the clock.  Striefsky was unable to make the 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

Davila completed 28-of-42 (66.7%) passes for 320 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.  Windsor finished the game with 11 receptions for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns, while receiver Kerry Reed caught eight passes for 92 yards and Geathers caught six passes for 55 yards and three touchdowns, adding another touchdown on the ground.

Next week, the Soul play their final road game of the season when they take on the Dallas Vigilantes (9-5) at the American Airlines Center on Friday, July 2.  Coverage of the game begins at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on WMCN-TV.

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