The Philadelphia Soul (3-6) win their first home game of the season by forcing four Georgia (5-4) turnovers and capitalizing offensively, outscoring the Force 47-28 at the half, and finishing with a 68-49 victory in front of 7,551 fans.
The 47-point first half ties a Soul all-time record for most points in a half, set on May 27, 2007 at the Austin Wranglers.
“It’s good to see our effort after all these weeks finally pay off,” said Soul Head Coach Mike Hohensee. “Our guys not only stepped up at key moments in the game, but also finished strong by continuing to add to our lead. We will definitely be able to build off of this victory as we continue to fight for the division title.”
Soul quarterback Ryan Vena completed 20-of-28 passes (71.4%) for 320 yards and seven touchdowns while adding two touchdowns on the ground. His corps of receivers were led by National Guard MVP and Offensive Player of the Game, Donovan Morgan, with five catches for 135 yards and four touchdowns. Syvelle Newton added 124 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, with Keith Stokes recording 46 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
The Soul defense came away with three interceptions and a fumble for the second time this season, with the first taking place in Week 1 at Pittsburgh. The interceptions were caught by defensive backs James Sadler, his first of the season, and Mike Brown, his fourth, and defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, the first for a Soul lineman. Nose guard Darrell Campbell added two sacks, giving him six total on the year.
The Soul opened up the scoring at 12:23 with a 38-yard, one-handed, touchdown catch by Newton. After the Force responded to take a 7-6 lead, the Soul struck back with a 15-yard touchdown reception by Darnell Whitely. Wide receiver Maurice Purify of the Force reached the end zone for his second touchdown grab of the quarter at 6:52. An 11-yard pass from Vena to Stokes ended the first frame with the Soul leading, 20-14.
The second quarter included two touchdown receptions by the Force’s Purify, of nine and two yards, and three by the Soul’s wide receiver Donovan Morgan, of 45, 45, and three yards, giving the Soul a 47-28 lead at the half.
The third quarter opened with a 56-yard kick return for a touchdown by C.J. Johnson of the Force, his fourth of the year. Damian Walker of the Soul added a 5-yard rushing touchdown, which was soon followed by Purify finding the end zone for his fifth time of the game on a 9-yard pass, cutting the Soul’s lead to 54-42 going into the final frame.
Vena’s second rushing touchdown of the game at 11:53 and Morgan’s 35-yard touchdown reception put the game out of reach as the Soul improve to 1-2 at home.
The Soul go back on the road next week when they travel to the division-rival Cleveland Gladiators (5-2) on Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. (EST) with coverage on WMCN. The next home game for the Soul takes place the following week against the New Orleans VooDoo (2-6) at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday, May 27 at 7:05 p.m.
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