Gameday Recap

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Force Extend Record to 7-0 with one to play

The Pittsburgh Passion came to town last Saturday afternoon with an impressive 4-2 record. On paper they looked to be a formidable opponent and could possibly put the first blemish on a perfect 6-0 Chicago record. The Force would have none of it as they cast their will, wearing down the Passion with relentless defensive pressure, the trademark of this group. The offense clearly needed the defense to step up again as they couldn’t seem to get a grip on passes, dropping numerous catchable balls throughout the game. Credit Pittsburgh’s defense, a speedy bunch that had Force quarterback Sami Grisafe scrambling for most of the day.

After a scoreless first half, Taylor Malloy took the Passion kickoff 22 yards to the Pittsburgh 48. The Force offense put together the longest sustained drive of this contest eating up 8 minutes of the third quarter with runs by Carolyn Lee, Grisafe (named offensive game day MVP), and two pass completions, one to Jeanette Gray and the other to Patricia Harper from the 17 yard line. It appeared that Harper had crossed the goal line, but the side judge ruled her out at the one foot line. One play later, Grisafe put her head down, followed her line mates up the middle for the winning touchdown. Lee made the extra point. Head Coach John Konecki clearly looked emotionally drained after this victory, and got the traditional Gatorade dunking from his loving players. “I told my team that it doesn’t matter how it happens - we did it and I’m happy with the win,” said Konecki. “Once again the defense played their (butts) off. We’ve had 5 shutouts in 7 games which is very impressive.”

The Passion offense never really established a rhythm, finding themselves in the middle of the field the majority of the time. Linebacker Veronica Hernandez and safety Candace Griffin were named co- defensive MVPS and led the way. Hernandez a 5’4, 160 pound dynamo always seems to be right in the middle of most scrums. Griffin making the transition from offense to defense, had a breakout game picking off 2 Pittsburgh passes. “Hernandez is very athletic, intense and has good instincts,” explained Defensive coach John Clarke. “Griffin works hard in practice and is a valuable part of the defense. All of our players as a unit step up when their number is called,” added Clarke.

The Force will close out the regular season with a tough road game rematch against the Tribe in Kansas City June 5.