New York, NY, August 7th 2010: On Monday, August 9, 2010, five members of the New York Sharks will display their gold medal from Team USA as Mayor Michael Bloomberg issues a proclamation.
In addition, for her extreme efforts in pioneering women’s tackle football, NY Sharks owner and Fins Up! Foundation for Female Athletes CEO Andra Douglas will receive a separate proclamation.
New York Sharks players #84 Jennifer Blum (WR), #30 Karen Mulligan (QB), #74 Melissa Pickett (C), #81 Lauren Pringle (DB,WR) and #10 Adrienne Smith (WR) were proud members of Team USA, that participated in the inaugural IFAF Women’s Championship Conference, held in Sweden as they took home the gold on July 3, 2010.
The 45 Team USA players were chosen by USA Football from nearly 2000 players in the
Independent Women's Football League (IWFL). Team USA shut out Austria, 63-0, Finland 72-0 and won the gold after shutting out Canada 66-0.
The NY SHARKS currently home to 45 female football players from the tri-state area represent all of NYC and are proud to be the winningest and longest operating women’s tackle football team in America!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Going For The Gold - Part 1
While most of the world was watching the World Cup in South Africa, over in Sweden sports history was also being made. For the first time an international tournament featuring women football players was being held in Stockholm. The United States was represented with players from the IWFL and most importantly by 5 players from the New York Sharks.
After 3 days of training in Austin, Texas, 45 players and coaches flew to Sweden. Once in Sweden, the #1 seed team in the tournament had 1 day to practice before taking on their first opponent Austria. Team Austria was ranked #4 and women have been playing football in that country since 1994.
How the Americans would fare against foreign competition was anyone's guess. The United States was favored but no one had seen any of the other countries play before so it was a big unknown. Team USA received the opening kick-off but they started off tentatively and were soon forced to punt.
The defense held and the USA offense was back on the field. Whatever jitters the offense may have had in the first possession soon went away as New York Sharks wide receiver Adrienne Smith scored the first touchdown with a 52-yard touchdown pass reception. It was actually more run than pass as quarterback Sami Grisafe from the Chicago Force threw a short side line pass to the right. Smith caught the ball and then streaked down the right sideline for the score. It put the Americans in the lead and they never looked back.
Team USA completely dominated Austria in all aspects of the game. They scored on 9 of 12 drives and the defense held the opposition to only 57 yards, mostly on the legs of Raiffeisen Lady Vikings running back Marie-Theres Michelitsch.
New York Sharks Jennifer Blum also got into the action with a 14-yard touchdown catch to give the United States a 19-0 lead. Other Sharks also got into the game, Melissa Pickett played center, Karen Mulligan played on the offensive line, and Lauren Pringle played in the secondary.
The final score was USA 63 - Austria 0. Kansas City Tribe wide receiver Rusty Sowers was named the USA MVP for her 5 catches for 63 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dallas Diamonds running back Jessica Springer also starred, rushing for 120 yards on 12 carries and scoring 1 touchdown.
Team USA (1-0) plays Finland (1-0) next on Thursday. The winner of this game will go on to play in the Gold Medal round on Saturday. Finland also defeated Austria by the score of 50-16.
WWC USA vs Austria from BoisEntertainment on Vimeo.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
The Boston Militia is owned by auto magnate Ernie Boch, Jr. He is the owner of one of the largest auto dealerships in the New England area. Not only is he the head of a billion dollar enterprise, he is also very passionate about music and has his own band, Ernie and the Automatics. The scuttlebutt is that while Ernie provides a strong financial footing for the team, he rarely shows up at games. But for the North Atlantic Division title game between the New York Sharks and the Militia, Ernie made an appearance.
We were busy broadcasting from the press box when Ernie showed up sometime during the second quarter. He was introduced to the many people that work for the team and was interviewed by the Boston Militia broadcasters at halftime.
I was able to talk to him quite briefly. We discussed how Toyota's brake problems were affecting toll revenue on the Massachusetts turnpike... Actually he said that he liked the Sharks logo and I told him that it was designed by the Sharks' owner Andra Douglas who was a creative arts director for Time-Warner. I on the other hand asked him a just as important question of why they don't play music from his band at the stadium. He just smiled and shook his head no. So much for small talk.
Ernie stuck around for the rest of the game hanging out in the press box until the rain stopped and then he watched the rest of the game from the stands. It was nice to see that even the well-heeled can come to a women's pro football game and enjoy themselves.
We were busy broadcasting from the press box when Ernie showed up sometime during the second quarter. He was introduced to the many people that work for the team and was interviewed by the Boston Militia broadcasters at halftime.
I was able to talk to him quite briefly. We discussed how Toyota's brake problems were affecting toll revenue on the Massachusetts turnpike... Actually he said that he liked the Sharks logo and I told him that it was designed by the Sharks' owner Andra Douglas who was a creative arts director for Time-Warner. I on the other hand asked him a just as important question of why they don't play music from his band at the stadium. He just smiled and shook his head no. So much for small talk.
Ernie stuck around for the rest of the game hanging out in the press box until the rain stopped and then he watched the rest of the game from the stands. It was nice to see that even the well-heeled can come to a women's pro football game and enjoy themselves.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
CABOT CREAMERY: Players of the Week (9)
New York Sharks defensive coordinator Lynn Lewis was named the CABOT CREAMERY Players of the Week by New York Sharks broadcasters Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell for June 12th. She gave her all in preparation for the Sharks first playoff game in 3 years.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Game Day: Sharks at Passion
Wexford, Pennsylvania, June 5, 2010
The game had the atmosphere of a playoff game as this game would determine which team made it into the post-season. The IWFL uses a complicated formula involving a team's win-loss percentage and their Massey Rating to see who would make it into the playoffs. The Massey Rating is used to help even out any imbalances in a team's schedule when compared to other teams, think college BCS. But for the New York Sharks (7-1) the answer was quite simple, win and your're in. For the Pittsburgh Passion it got a whole lot more complex as they would have to win and by an unknown score.
To help the home team out, former Pittsburgh Steeler great Franco Harris was at the game and performed the coin toss. He certainly helped the home team as the Sharks lost the toss, but Pittsburgh chose to defer to the second half. New York chose the ball and it soon seemed to be a bad choice.
On the opening kick-off, disaster struck as the ball short hopped in front of the kick returner and skipped past her. She ran back to recover the ball but could only fall on it at the 2-yard line. With their backs against the wall, the Sharks tried to run the ball out on the legs of Kathy Holloman but the Pittsburgh defense held strong and forced the Sharks to punt after 3 plays.
Things got only worse as the snap to punter Megan Antonucci was low and she could not handle the loose ball. She quickly decided to kick the ball out of the endzone, thinking that the worse it could be was a safety. Instead the Sharks were hit with a penalty for kicking the ball out of bounds. This now gave the Passion the football on the turnover of downs and after the penalty of half the distance to the goal line was assessed, they had the ball at the New York 3-yard line.
Things looked pretty bleak, but the Sharks defense came on to the field with fire in their eyes and stopped the Passion cold. After 3 plays, Pittsburgh had actually lost a yard and chose to settle for a field goal. Kicker Lauren Bracco drilled the football from 19 yards out to give the home team the early lead, 3-0.
It wasn't a good thing to give up points so quickly in the game, but the bright side was that the defense was poised to show the Passion some more New York hospitality.
On their next possession, the Sharks had better field position but could not do a thing. The Passion stopped the drive early with an interception of quarterback Karen Mulligan at the Pittsburgh 41 yard line.
Again the Sharks defense bailed out the offense by stopping Pittsburgh. The big play of the drive was a sack by Takesha Dye, forcing the Passion to punt the ball.
But again the special teams play went awry as the punt was fumbled with Pittsburgh recovering the ball. It appeared that the returner was hit just as she touched the ball but no penalty was called. Pittsburgh had another golden opportunity with the ball on the New York 18-yard line. But yet again the defense bailed the team out. Pittsburgh quarterback Janice Masters was sacked by Lakisha Grant and Shauntay Stewart to push the Passion back to the 24-yard line. Masters then hit receiver Jenine Suprano at the 13-yard line, but was quickly met by 3 Sharks. Suprano tried to fight for the first down but was stripped of the ball and New York recovered.
The Sharks were able to get a first down on their next possession but that was about it before they were forced to punt. The Passion started this drive from the New York 45-yard line. A facemask penalty against the Sharks moved the ball closer by 15 yards. A couple of short passes by Masters to Suprano and Pittsburgh got into the red zone. But the Sharks defense stiffened and forced the Passion to attempt a 31 yard field goal. The kick was blocked and that kept the score at 3-0 in favor of the Passion.
The Sharks got the ball at their own 21-yard line. On the first play of the drive Mulligan handed the ball off to Holloman for a nice 6 yard gain. It was a decent sign for the struggling offense, but then on the next play there was a big blaring sign that the offense was not struggling any more. From the shotgun formation Mulligan again handed the ball off to Holloman who hit the hole up the middle of the line and broke a tackle at the Sharks 40-yard line. From there the former UCONN track star just rocketed down the middle of the field leaving Pittsburgh defenders in the wake of her red shoes. It was an electrifying 63 yard touchdown run and after Antonucci split the uprights, the Sharks took the lead 7-3 with 12:22 remaining in the second quarter.
Pittsburgh seeing their chances of making the playoffs were starting to slip away and so they started to open up their playbook a bit more. Starting from their own 35-yard line they ran one play which netted them a loss of 3 yards. But on the next play, Masters threw a short pass to Amanda Haeg at the 39-yard line. Haeg caught the low pass and seemed to be bracing herself for a hit from a New York defender. Running back Lyndsi Hughes was trailing the play and just as Haeg was tackled, she pitched the ball back to Hughes who ran the remaining 61 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. The Passion had run the hook and ladder play to perfection and the home team crowd went wild as they took the lead 10-7 with 9:30 left in the half.
The Sharks offense tried to match the score with a drive that started from their own 31-yard line. After 13 plays, New York was down to the Pittsburgh 9-yard line before it stalled with an interception of Mulligan in the endzone.
Pittsburgh had pulled one trick out of their sleeve and so they tried another from their own 20-yard line. This time it was the flea flicker play with Masters handing the ball off to Hughes who tried to reach her teammate with a pass. The pass fluttered in the air and was picked off by Lauren Pringle who returned the ball to the Passion 14-yard line.
New York did not waste this second chance as Mulligan calmly stood in the pocket as 3 Pittsburgh linesmen came running at her with less than 2 minutes left to go in the half. She threw a strike to Chante Bonds as she got hit by said linesmen. Bonds was tackled at the 3-yard line for a first and goal situation. Mulligan then connected with Pringle for a touchdown. After another Antonucci extra point, the Sharks had regained the lead 14-10 at halftime.
At the start of the third quarter, Pittsburgh was able to move the ball down to the Sharks 38-yard line before the drive stalled. Unlike the start of the first half, the New York offense was up and running. Running with Holloman that is, as she was repeatedly handed the ball and she pounded out yards all the way for another scoring touchdown. The drive took 6 plays with the highlight being a 34 yard run in which she broke 3 tackles before being stopped. Antonucci hit her third consecutive extra point to put New York ahead 21-10.
The Sharks scored one more time and fittingly enough it came from the defense. The Sharks defense for most of the game played hard and hit hard. With victory in sight as well as the playoffs, Pringle intercepted Passion quarterback Sherry Kring at the New York 10-yard line and returned it all the way back for a touchdown. This 90-yard play was the longest interception returned for a touchdown by a Shark since Christina Pagan ran one back 88 yards in 2006. Antonucci's kick went wide but the visitor's now had a comfortable 27-10 lead with 8:03 left in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter got a bit sloppy as there were 4 turnovers but they did not result in anymore scoring. At the end it was New York winning the game and earning a trip to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years and the first playoff appearance by rookie head coach Fabian Alessandro. It was also a blow to the Passion who have been to the playoffs every year since they joined the IWFL and it broke their 20 home game consecutive winning streak.
The game was marked with multiple turnovers from both squads but the Sharks defense kept Pittsburgh from capitalizing on New York's miscues too much. The Sharks offense started off slowly but by the second quarter they hitting on all cylinders led by the running of Holloman.
The New York Sharks will travel north to New England to take on the Boston Militia as it is now playoff time. The Sharks and Militia will be playing for the IWFL Northeast Division title with the winner going to the Easter Conference Championship game. Kick-off will be at 6:00pm (EDT). If you cannot make it to the game, listen to Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell describe all of the action on WFNradio.
New York Sharks 0-14-13-0: 27
Pittsburgh Passion 3-7-0-0: 10
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
PT - (10:53) Bracco 19 yard field goal
Second Quarter
NY - (12:22) Holloman 73 yard run (Antonucci kick)
PT - (09:20) Hughes 63 yard run from Haeg after pass from Masters (Bracco kick)
NY - (01:13) Pringle 4 yard pass from Mulligan (Antonucci kick)
Third Quarter
NY - (09:47) Holloman 6 yard run (Antonucci kick)
NY - (08:03) Pringle 90 yard interception return (Kick failed)
The game had the atmosphere of a playoff game as this game would determine which team made it into the post-season. The IWFL uses a complicated formula involving a team's win-loss percentage and their Massey Rating to see who would make it into the playoffs. The Massey Rating is used to help even out any imbalances in a team's schedule when compared to other teams, think college BCS. But for the New York Sharks (7-1) the answer was quite simple, win and your're in. For the Pittsburgh Passion it got a whole lot more complex as they would have to win and by an unknown score.
To help the home team out, former Pittsburgh Steeler great Franco Harris was at the game and performed the coin toss. He certainly helped the home team as the Sharks lost the toss, but Pittsburgh chose to defer to the second half. New York chose the ball and it soon seemed to be a bad choice.
On the opening kick-off, disaster struck as the ball short hopped in front of the kick returner and skipped past her. She ran back to recover the ball but could only fall on it at the 2-yard line. With their backs against the wall, the Sharks tried to run the ball out on the legs of Kathy Holloman but the Pittsburgh defense held strong and forced the Sharks to punt after 3 plays.
Things got only worse as the snap to punter Megan Antonucci was low and she could not handle the loose ball. She quickly decided to kick the ball out of the endzone, thinking that the worse it could be was a safety. Instead the Sharks were hit with a penalty for kicking the ball out of bounds. This now gave the Passion the football on the turnover of downs and after the penalty of half the distance to the goal line was assessed, they had the ball at the New York 3-yard line.
Things looked pretty bleak, but the Sharks defense came on to the field with fire in their eyes and stopped the Passion cold. After 3 plays, Pittsburgh had actually lost a yard and chose to settle for a field goal. Kicker Lauren Bracco drilled the football from 19 yards out to give the home team the early lead, 3-0.
It wasn't a good thing to give up points so quickly in the game, but the bright side was that the defense was poised to show the Passion some more New York hospitality.
On their next possession, the Sharks had better field position but could not do a thing. The Passion stopped the drive early with an interception of quarterback Karen Mulligan at the Pittsburgh 41 yard line.
Again the Sharks defense bailed out the offense by stopping Pittsburgh. The big play of the drive was a sack by Takesha Dye, forcing the Passion to punt the ball.
But again the special teams play went awry as the punt was fumbled with Pittsburgh recovering the ball. It appeared that the returner was hit just as she touched the ball but no penalty was called. Pittsburgh had another golden opportunity with the ball on the New York 18-yard line. But yet again the defense bailed the team out. Pittsburgh quarterback Janice Masters was sacked by Lakisha Grant and Shauntay Stewart to push the Passion back to the 24-yard line. Masters then hit receiver Jenine Suprano at the 13-yard line, but was quickly met by 3 Sharks. Suprano tried to fight for the first down but was stripped of the ball and New York recovered.
The Sharks were able to get a first down on their next possession but that was about it before they were forced to punt. The Passion started this drive from the New York 45-yard line. A facemask penalty against the Sharks moved the ball closer by 15 yards. A couple of short passes by Masters to Suprano and Pittsburgh got into the red zone. But the Sharks defense stiffened and forced the Passion to attempt a 31 yard field goal. The kick was blocked and that kept the score at 3-0 in favor of the Passion.
The Sharks got the ball at their own 21-yard line. On the first play of the drive Mulligan handed the ball off to Holloman for a nice 6 yard gain. It was a decent sign for the struggling offense, but then on the next play there was a big blaring sign that the offense was not struggling any more. From the shotgun formation Mulligan again handed the ball off to Holloman who hit the hole up the middle of the line and broke a tackle at the Sharks 40-yard line. From there the former UCONN track star just rocketed down the middle of the field leaving Pittsburgh defenders in the wake of her red shoes. It was an electrifying 63 yard touchdown run and after Antonucci split the uprights, the Sharks took the lead 7-3 with 12:22 remaining in the second quarter.
Pittsburgh seeing their chances of making the playoffs were starting to slip away and so they started to open up their playbook a bit more. Starting from their own 35-yard line they ran one play which netted them a loss of 3 yards. But on the next play, Masters threw a short pass to Amanda Haeg at the 39-yard line. Haeg caught the low pass and seemed to be bracing herself for a hit from a New York defender. Running back Lyndsi Hughes was trailing the play and just as Haeg was tackled, she pitched the ball back to Hughes who ran the remaining 61 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. The Passion had run the hook and ladder play to perfection and the home team crowd went wild as they took the lead 10-7 with 9:30 left in the half.
The Sharks offense tried to match the score with a drive that started from their own 31-yard line. After 13 plays, New York was down to the Pittsburgh 9-yard line before it stalled with an interception of Mulligan in the endzone.
Pittsburgh had pulled one trick out of their sleeve and so they tried another from their own 20-yard line. This time it was the flea flicker play with Masters handing the ball off to Hughes who tried to reach her teammate with a pass. The pass fluttered in the air and was picked off by Lauren Pringle who returned the ball to the Passion 14-yard line.
New York did not waste this second chance as Mulligan calmly stood in the pocket as 3 Pittsburgh linesmen came running at her with less than 2 minutes left to go in the half. She threw a strike to Chante Bonds as she got hit by said linesmen. Bonds was tackled at the 3-yard line for a first and goal situation. Mulligan then connected with Pringle for a touchdown. After another Antonucci extra point, the Sharks had regained the lead 14-10 at halftime.
At the start of the third quarter, Pittsburgh was able to move the ball down to the Sharks 38-yard line before the drive stalled. Unlike the start of the first half, the New York offense was up and running. Running with Holloman that is, as she was repeatedly handed the ball and she pounded out yards all the way for another scoring touchdown. The drive took 6 plays with the highlight being a 34 yard run in which she broke 3 tackles before being stopped. Antonucci hit her third consecutive extra point to put New York ahead 21-10.
The Sharks scored one more time and fittingly enough it came from the defense. The Sharks defense for most of the game played hard and hit hard. With victory in sight as well as the playoffs, Pringle intercepted Passion quarterback Sherry Kring at the New York 10-yard line and returned it all the way back for a touchdown. This 90-yard play was the longest interception returned for a touchdown by a Shark since Christina Pagan ran one back 88 yards in 2006. Antonucci's kick went wide but the visitor's now had a comfortable 27-10 lead with 8:03 left in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter got a bit sloppy as there were 4 turnovers but they did not result in anymore scoring. At the end it was New York winning the game and earning a trip to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years and the first playoff appearance by rookie head coach Fabian Alessandro. It was also a blow to the Passion who have been to the playoffs every year since they joined the IWFL and it broke their 20 home game consecutive winning streak.
The game was marked with multiple turnovers from both squads but the Sharks defense kept Pittsburgh from capitalizing on New York's miscues too much. The Sharks offense started off slowly but by the second quarter they hitting on all cylinders led by the running of Holloman.
The New York Sharks will travel north to New England to take on the Boston Militia as it is now playoff time. The Sharks and Militia will be playing for the IWFL Northeast Division title with the winner going to the Easter Conference Championship game. Kick-off will be at 6:00pm (EDT). If you cannot make it to the game, listen to Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell describe all of the action on WFNradio.
New York Sharks 0-14-13-0: 27
Pittsburgh Passion 3-7-0-0: 10
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
PT - (10:53) Bracco 19 yard field goal
Second Quarter
NY - (12:22) Holloman 73 yard run (Antonucci kick)
PT - (09:20) Hughes 63 yard run from Haeg after pass from Masters (Bracco kick)
NY - (01:13) Pringle 4 yard pass from Mulligan (Antonucci kick)
Third Quarter
NY - (09:47) Holloman 6 yard run (Antonucci kick)
NY - (08:03) Pringle 90 yard interception return (Kick failed)
CABOT CREAMERY: Players of the Week (8)
New York Sharks Lauren Pringle and Cheri Eleazer were named the CABOT CREAMERY Players of the Week by New York Sharks broadcasters Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell for week 8. Both had 2 interceptions each as they helped clinch a playoff spots for New York with a 27-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Passion. The Sharks are returning to the post-season after a 2 year hiatus.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
CABOT CREAMERY: Player of the Week (7)
Rookie Janea Wilkerson was named the CABOT CREAMERY Playerof the Week by New York Sharks broadcasters Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell for week 7. Janea got her first start at running back and came up with some big yards on crucial plays in the game.
Game Day: Nighthawks at Sharks
Brooklyn, New York, May 22, 2010
It was a carnival-like atmosphere in Brooklyn as the New York Sharks (6-1) got ready to play their 100th game. Well truth be told, it was a carnival atmosphere as the Kings County Fair was being held right next to the Aviator Sports Complex football field. Right behind the stands were rides like the haunted mansion and a huge ferris wheel overlooking the grounds. But for all of the festivities at the grounds, the Sharks needed an opponent to play their historic 100th game. The Baltimore Nighthawks (3-4) had stayed overnight in nearby Newark, New Jersey and were introduced that day to New York city's famous traffic. Though they thought they had left at a decent time, they made it to the ballpark about an hour before kick-off time.
It was a fine evening for a football game. The skies were clear and the temperature was in the low 60's. Wind is always an issue at Aviator but it wasn't too bad this night. It was a festive evening, enhanced by the fair's bright colorful neon lights illuminating the area.
To help commemorate the Sharks' 100th game, New York Sharks' owner Andra Douglas dusted off her kicking shoes and came out of retirement to play. She, along with current player Jen Blum and defensive coordinator Lynn Lewis had played in the Sharks' very first game in 1999. So when the Sharks had to kick-off to start the game, Douglas trotted onto the field as a player for the first time since 2005.
The Sharks defense was in fine form and forced the Nighthawks to go three and out and punt the ball away. New York started their first drive of the game in decent field position on the Baltimore 45-yard line. The Sharks started the drive conservatively with 3 running plays. Two of the handoffs were to rookie Janea Wilkerson in her first start at running back. After getting a first down, quarterback Karen Mulligan ran for a big 17 yard gain to move the ball down to the Nighthawks 16-yard line. Kathy Holloman returned to the backfield and took the next 2 handoffs to get the Sharks down to the 11-yard line. Mulligan then went to the air and connected with Chante Bonds for a touchdown. Kicker Megan Antonucci's extra point attempt was too low but the Sharks were ahead 6-0 with 8:48 left in the first quarter.
On the Sharks next drive, they started from their own 45-yard line. At first the drive didn't look like it was going to get anywhere as Holloman was stopped for only a 1-yard gain and then Mulligan was sacked by Ashley Branch for an 8-yard loss. But on 3rd down with 17 yards to go for a first down, Mulligan went deep and hit Blum for 52 yard gain. This put the ball on the Baltimore 10-yard line. On the next play, Mulligan pitched out to her right to Holloman who threadered her way into the endzone for the Sharks second score of the game. This time the extra point kick was blocked.
New York got the ball back quickly as the defense forced another 3 and out on the Nighthawks. But the Sharks gave the ball back even quicker to Baltimore as they scored on the very next play. Mulligan threw a perfect pass to Lauren Pringle at the 50-yard line. Mulligan hit Pringle right in stride and she raced down the right sideline for a 66 yard touchdown reception. This gave New York a commanding 18-0 lead after the first quarter.
Baltimore's next drive continued to go poorly. Quarterback Lil Drumgold tried to evade a huge rush of Sharks' linemen and made a very ill advisted pass attempt. The pass was intercepted by Sharks' Shana Segers who returned the ball to New York 33-yard line. From here, the New York offense marched the ball down the field. Sticking mostly to the ground, the Sharks were back in the endzone after 7 plays. Three big runs of 17, 14, and 19 yards by Pringle, Bonds, and Mulligan respectively did most of the heavy lifting. The final 4 yards were run in by Mulligan. Antonucci split the uprights on the extra point attempt and New York extended their lead to 25-0.
The Sharks continued to dominate the Nighthawks as they scored 2 more times before the first half ended. The first one came on a 40-yard, 12 play drive that was done by going to the air. The second touchdown came after Drumgold got hit by Ebony Jones and the quarterback fumbled the ball. The Sharks recovered the ball on the Nighthawks' 31-yard line. Four plays later, Mulligan hit Blum for the Sharks' sixth and final touchdown of the day. Antonucci was successful on the extra point to make the score 38-0 at halftime.
With the game firmly in the Sharks control, it was just a matter of will New York get their 41st shutout. It started to look that they would as the defense kept the Nighthawks at bay. But late in the fourth quarter, Drumgold hit Nolan for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The extra point attempt failed so the final score was Sharks 38 - Nighthawks 6.
The game was history in the making. The victory helped keep the Sharks in the playoff hunt, but the game itself put the Sharks in the history books as the first women's team to play 100 games. Their record for their first 100 games is 82 wins, 40 wins by shutout, and 18 losses.
The New York Sharks will travel to Pittsburgh in 2 weeks to take on the Pittsburgh Passion (4-3) in a battle for the last playoff spot. A Sharks victory will clinch them a berth in the second season, while a Passion win could put Pittsburgh in. New York beat Pittsburgh earlier this season in an exciting come from behind win in Brooklyn, 12-8. But the Passion have been playing tough of late and are looking to reach the playoffs for themselves.
Kick-off will be at 7:05pm (EDT). If you cannot make it to the game, listen to Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell describe all of the action on WFNradio.
Baltimore Nighthawks 0-0-0-6: 6
New York Sharks 18-20-0-0: 38
First Quarter
NY - (08:48) Bonds 11 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
NY - (04:46) Holloman 10 yard run (Kick failed)
NY - (02:50) Pringle 66 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
Second Quarter
NY - (12:03) Mulligan 4 yard run (Antonucci kick)
NY - (05:02) Bonds 2 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
NY - (02:28) Blum 9 yard pass from Mulligan (Antonucci kick)
Fourth Quarter
BAL - (08:45) Nolan 45 yard pass from Drumgold (Kick failed)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Top 5 Out of 100
The New York Sharks played their 100th game this past Saturday. To commemorate the feat, we have come up with a list of the top 5 games the Sharks have played. They are as follows:
5) May 8, 2004 - New York Sharks vs. Chicago Force
4) June 7, 2008 - D.C. Divas vs. New York Sharks
3) April 3, 2004 - Atlanta Xplosion vs. New York Sharks
2) July 6, 2002 - New York Sharks vs. Austin Outlaws
1) December 11, 1999 - Minnesota Vixens vs. New York Sharks
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Countdown to 100 - Sharks Greatest Game #1
In determining the New York Sharks greatest games, you have to set down a list of guidelines of what constitutes a great game. Some of the criteria were: was it a close game, was there a record setting performance, did the Sharks win, was it a come from behind victory, was they any significance to the game, etc. Many of the games selected so far had many of these ingredients, but the one chosen as the best of the best has it all.
There is something about the first being the best and the New York Sharks first game ever was the best. Not only did the Sharks win by only 6 points, they came from behind in the second half, the backup quarterback engineering the winning drive, and this game helped catapult the forming of a women's professional football league.
In 1999, two women's football teams, Minnesota Vixens and Michigan Minx, were created in the mid-west. They barn stormed around the country playing each other to see if there was any interest in women's tackle football. Their promoters had heard of a women's flag football team from New York that had won a national championship and challenged the team, the Long Island Sharks to play the Minnesota Vixen in a tackle football game. There were not enough players on the Sharks to form a complete team so they enlisted players from other flag football teams in the New York city area.
With less than 2 months to prepare and using borrowed equipment they transformed themselves the flag football team into a tackle football team. And on a very cold and windy December 11th, the two teams met at Mitchell Field in Uniondale, Long Island.
For most of the Sharks this was the first time they had ever played a game with the pads on and it took some getting used to. The wind was howling with gusts up to 40 mph and most of the plays were on the ground. The Vixens had 4 games worth of experience and were able to draw first blood. They scored their touchdown in the beginning of the second quarter to lead 6-0.
The score remained 6-0 at halftime as the Sharks struggled to get any offense going. In the third quarter there was a quarterback change with Val Halesworth taking over. The change seemed to spark the team as she led them down the field to tie the score. The big play coming on a 71-yard pass completion to Nathalie Jufer.
The Sharks defense continued to play tough and kept the visitors out of the endzone. As the third quarter came to a close, Halesworth again connected with her receiver for a touchdown. This time it was a 17-yard strike to Val Monaco. This made the score 12-6 and that is the way it remained to the final whistle.
There were only 300 fans that lasted through the bad weather to watch the game, but the enthusiasm generated from the event set the stage to create a whole league for women's football in 2000.
There is something about the first being the best and the New York Sharks first game ever was the best. Not only did the Sharks win by only 6 points, they came from behind in the second half, the backup quarterback engineering the winning drive, and this game helped catapult the forming of a women's professional football league.
In 1999, two women's football teams, Minnesota Vixens and Michigan Minx, were created in the mid-west. They barn stormed around the country playing each other to see if there was any interest in women's tackle football. Their promoters had heard of a women's flag football team from New York that had won a national championship and challenged the team, the Long Island Sharks to play the Minnesota Vixen in a tackle football game. There were not enough players on the Sharks to form a complete team so they enlisted players from other flag football teams in the New York city area.
With less than 2 months to prepare and using borrowed equipment they transformed themselves the flag football team into a tackle football team. And on a very cold and windy December 11th, the two teams met at Mitchell Field in Uniondale, Long Island.
For most of the Sharks this was the first time they had ever played a game with the pads on and it took some getting used to. The wind was howling with gusts up to 40 mph and most of the plays were on the ground. The Vixens had 4 games worth of experience and were able to draw first blood. They scored their touchdown in the beginning of the second quarter to lead 6-0.
The score remained 6-0 at halftime as the Sharks struggled to get any offense going. In the third quarter there was a quarterback change with Val Halesworth taking over. The change seemed to spark the team as she led them down the field to tie the score. The big play coming on a 71-yard pass completion to Nathalie Jufer.
The Sharks defense continued to play tough and kept the visitors out of the endzone. As the third quarter came to a close, Halesworth again connected with her receiver for a touchdown. This time it was a 17-yard strike to Val Monaco. This made the score 12-6 and that is the way it remained to the final whistle.
There were only 300 fans that lasted through the bad weather to watch the game, but the enthusiasm generated from the event set the stage to create a whole league for women's football in 2000.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
CABOT CREAMERY Player of the Week (6)
In a game where the New York Sharks were spanked and spanked good, it was difficult to pick out a player to give the Cabot Creamery Player of the Week award to. After much deliberation, New York Sharks broadcasters Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell decided to give the award to the Sharks defense. The defense played well considering they were on the field for most of the game and often times Boston started their drives in New York territory.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Countdown to 100 - Sharks Greatest Game #2
The 2002 season started off with tragedy for the New York Sharks. Their beloved teammate Sharon Pascale died in a car crash on Christmas Day. The team was going to dedicate this new season in a new league in memory of her.
From day 1, the Sharks dominated every team that they played during the regular season. The defense was almost perfect, giving up only 2 scores all season while the offense averaged over 43 points per game. While the Sharks were the eastern division champions, out west the Austin Outlaws were pretty dominating themselves. The two teams were to meet on a Independence Day weekend for the first IWFL National Championship game to be held out in Ashland, Oregon.
This was the second time around for the Sharks in the playoffs. In 2000 they were co-leaders of their division but lost in the opening round of the playoffs.
It was a very hot day at gametime. It wasn't humid but the air was so dry that you couldn't sweat, any perspiration would evaporate almost immediately. It didn't help matters as the Sharks were wearing black uniforms.
New York lost the coin toss but Austin chose to kick the ball. It was a choice that the Sharks made the Outlaws soon regret. The Sharks offense was led by star quarterback Val Halesworth who was the league's leading passer, but the Sharks also had a potent running attack with Courtney Eaton.
On the opening drive, New York moved the ball mostly on the ground. The drive almost came to a stop as the Sharks had a crucial fourth down on the Austin 30-yard line. New York went for it as Halesworth looked to make a pass. Austin's defensive line broke through and chased Halesworth out of the pocket. When it looked like they were going to catch her, she tried to throw a pass but started to fall as she threw. Nonetheless, the football found it's target, Eaton at the Austin12-yard line. New York moved the ball all the way down to the 3-yard line when it was fourth down. Relying on a surge by her offensive line, Halesworth followed her blockers into the endzone to give the Sharks the lead.
Austin's offensive strength was their running game. Margaret Pace was handed the ball time after time and she was able to move the Outlaws down the field. But once they got into the red zone, the Sharks defense put up a wall and denied Austin from scoring. This was a good thing, but New York now had to start their drive deep in their own territory and they could not find much success. Sharks head coach Nick Giannatasio then ordered Halesworth to run out of the endzone on fourth down to take a safety instead of going for the punt. Since the Sharks rarely punted all season, he had more faith in his defense than in his special teams.
This made the score 8-2 and that is the way the score was at the end of the first half. Both defenses were able to stop the potent offense of the other side.
When the Outlaws won the coin toss in the beginning of the game, they chose to kick the ball instead of saying they wanted to defer to the second half. This meant that the Sharks could choose what they wanted for the beginning of the second half, and they chose to receive the ball. The Sharks again made Austin pay for their mistake by scoring on their opening drive of the second half. Mostly keeping the ball on the ground by giving it to Eaton and Virgina "Cha Chi" Leon the Sharks scored another touchdown. The 2-point conversion was successful on a pass from Halesworth to Lori DeVivio. This made the score 16-2, early in the third quarter.
Austin was starting to feel the championship slipping away. On the ensuing kick-off, kick returner Monica Gauck tried to get her team back in the game with a nice return but as she kept trying to get more yardage, she fumbled the football and the Sharks recovered it.
Another Outlaw mistake and the Sharks quickly took advantage of it. This time they went to the air and Halesworth connected with wide receiver Val "Peanut" Monaco twice for gains of 25 and 19 yards for the Sharks third score of the game. New York went for the 2-point conversion and Monica Marsh caught the pass to give the Sharks a 24-2 lead.
From there the Sharks defense continued to shut down the Outlaws. They did not allow Austin to score but they did set up the last score of the game. Playing safety, Halesworth intercepted an Austin pass at New York's own 20-yard line. The Sharks offense lost some yards on the drive and were forced to punt deep in their own territory. On fourth down, the long snap sailed over the punter's head resulting in another safety for the Outlaws, but that was all they would score.
The final score was 24-4 in favor of New York. The Sharks had just won the biggest game of the year and now had the title of national champions. It was a bittersweet moment as they had done it without their teammate Sharon, but they kept the vow that they made in February to win it for her.
For more details on the game, visit the Sharks' gameday write-up.
Next week at #1, Smackdown
Sunday, May 9, 2010
CABOT CREAMERY Player of the Week (5)
Chante Bonds was named the CABOT CREAMERY Playerof the Week by New York Sharks broadcasters Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell for week 5. Chante was all over the field on defense but also came up big on offense, scoring the game winning touchdown.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Countdown to 100 - Sharks Greatest Game #3
Frantic Finish
The New York Sharks had been the Eastern Conference champions in the IWFL for the past 2 seasons. They won the national championship in 2002 but lost in 2003. 2004 was the year to re-take the title. On opening day in 2004, the Sharks were hosting the Atlanta Xplosion, a new team to the IWFL but a team with a winning history in other leagues.
The Xplosion joined the IWFL to show everyone that they could play with the big girls and what better team to show off than against the Sharks. The game started off with a bang as Atlanta's Angela Rowe returned the opening kick-off 78 yards for a touchdown.
The Sharks were able to tie the game later in the first quarter on some heads-up play by punt returner Lori DeVivio. On a very short punt by the Xplosion, the ball was rolling around their own 35-yard line. DeVivio noticed that no one had bothered to down the ball and were not near it. She scooped up the ball and raced down the left sideline for a touchdown to tie the game.
Atlanta quarterback Sue Cackowski had great success against the New York secondary with touchdown passes of 33 and 36 yards in the second and third quarters of the game. The Xplosion then extended the lead to 14 points with a 24-yard field goal by Kay Bateman with 5:30 left in the third quarter.
Things were definitely not looking bright for the home team as the offense had trouble getting untracked through most of the game so far. The Sharks' streak of 21 regular season game wins was at stake as the third quarter was drawing to a close. But things turned around rather suddenly as DeVivio intercepted an Atlanta pass and returned the ball to the Xplosion 49-yard line.
Sharks' quarterback Val Halesworth using quick short passes was now beginning to move the ball to the Atlanta red zone. Once they got to the 13-yard line, Missy Marmorale came into the game for the first time on offense at running back. She immediately brought energy to the running attack as she pounded away at the defense. Marmorale capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to bring the Sharks within 8 points with most of the fourth quarter still to play.
The Sharks were smelling blood and on Atlanta's next possession, Virginia "Cha Chi" Leon intercepted a pass for New York's third INT of the game. Mixing passing and running plays New York was able to score a touchdown to bring them within 2 points with 5:32 left to go in the game. So to tie the score the Sharks went for the 2-point conversion and made it on a Kathy Holloman run.
The Xplosion seemed to be getting rattled and on their next possession they fumbled the ball away. The Sharks recovered the ball on the Atlanta 42-yard line. Halesworth led the team again into the red zone and Marmorale blasted through the final 6 yards for a touchdown to give the Sharks their first lead of the game with 2:36 left to go.
The New York coaching staff was very much concerned about the Xplosion kick-off return as they were getting very good yardage, plus they did score on the opening kick-off. To combat this, the Sharks' braintrust gambled and went for an on-side kick. Atlanta recovered the ball on New York's 40-yard line. It was excellent field position but with time running out, the Sharks defense came on strong and stopped the Xplosion on 4 plays. The last play being a sack by Marmorale to clinch the Shark victory.
The Sharks have never been behind by 2 touchdowns before, let alone 2 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This dramatic comeback proved to be one of the most exciting games in Sharks' history. This was also the first game that the Sharks broadcasted live over the radio and on the Internet and it was a doozy.
For more game details read our gameday write-up.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Game Day: Sharks at Justice
Cartaret, New Jersey, May 1, 2010
Despite being a tier 2 team, the Jersey Justice (3-1) have shown that they are no pushovers. Since joining the IWFL they have been playoff contenders and last year they just missed going to the championship game by 1 point. The Justice are having another good season being undefeated as they hosted the equally undefeated New York Sharks (4-0).
It was a very warm and slightly humid evening in the Garden State. Temperatures were in the low 80's at kick-off time. The Sharks had lost the coin toss and kicked off to the Justice. Last week the Justice used a very strong running attack to victory against the Binghamton Tiger Cats, rushing for over 300 yards. New York was ready for this.
Jersey tried to run the ball on their first drive and were stopped cold by the Sharks defense. Actually the Justice lost yards and were quickly forced to punt.
The Sharks started their first drive of the game with a quick pass from Karen Mulligan to Lauren Pringle. It was good for 10 yards and a first down on the Jersey 43-yard line. New York then showed Jersey what a running attack looks like and after a 21 yard run by Kathy Holloman and then a 22 yard run by Mulligan the Sharks were on the board. Placekicker Kriste McTamaney added the extra point and the Sharks had the lead 7-0 with 11:15 to go in the first quarter.
New York's defense continuted to dominate the Justice and they were forced to punt again after only 3 plays from scrimmage. All night long the Sharks defense proved to much for the Jersey offense. But it was the Jersey defense that provided the scoring firepower for the home team.
After the Justice punted the ball back to the Sharks, Mulligan looked to her right and underthrew to her receiver . Safety Maegan Larsen read the play and jumped in front of intended receiver Lauren Pringle to intercept the ball at the Sharks' 44-yard line. Mulligan tried to catch Larsen but she was too fast as she sprinted into the endzone for a 56 yard interception return. The Justice went for the 2-point conversion and Larsen pitched the ball to Leslie Busch who ran into the endzone for the score. The Justice shocked the Sharks with the score as New York was behind for the first time this season, 8-7 with 9:11 left in the first quarter.
While the Justice touchdown brought the home crowd to their feet, it seemed to wake up the Sharks more. On New York's next possession, they put their trust in Holloman as she rushed 5 times in a row and picked up 65 yards. For the final 10 yards into the endzone, Mulligan threw a bullet to Adrienne Smith at the 10-yard line and she ran into the endzone for the score and the lead. On the extra point attempt the snap bounced to the holder and New York failed to get the extra point. But the Sharks regained the lead 13-8 and never looked back again.
New York kept their foot on the accelerator as Jersey started their next possession on their own 28-yard line. Defensive end Lakisha Grant broke through the line and grabbed quarterback Larsen in the backfield for a 15-yard loss. But while she was falling to the ground, Larsen tried to throw the ball away and the Justice were hit with a grounding penalty. It was now second down and Jersey was back to their own 8-yard line. Larsen faked a handoff and then took a step towards the line of scrimmage. She saw Fatima Carvey shoot through the line and Larsen quickly decided to change direction from the rush. She ran to her right but there were more Sharks chasing her and she was eventually tackled by Keisha Salmon at the Justice 1-yard line. On third down from the shotgun formation, running back Laurie Fitzpatrick was handed the ball but again Carvey smashed through and tackled the runner in the endzone for a safety.
On the ensuing free kick Smith fielded the ball on her own 41-yard line. Running up a huge hole up the middle of the field she ran all the way back to the Jersey 1-yard line. From there Holloman punched the ball into the endzone for the touchdown. The Sharks went for the 2-point conversion and Mulligan lofted the ball into the back of the endzone that was caught by Jen Blum. This made the score 23-8 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same athe defense shut down the Justice offense and the Sharks ran the ball at will. New York scored twice in the second quarter, one on a 20 yard run by Holloman that was set up by a nifty 47 yard run the play before. The other Sharks score came on a 29-yard pass play to Chante Bonds. While Holloman didn't score the touchdown she helped on the drive with 2 runs of 17 and 15 yards and then caught the pass for the 2-point conversion. This made the score at halftime, New York 37- Jersey 8.
In the second half, the New York defense kept up their wall and denied the Justice from ever getting into the red zone. On offense, the Sharks used the big play to score two more times. One score came on a 59-yard run by Holloman for her third touchdown of the game and the other touchdown came on a 63-yard pass from Mulligan to Smith.
The final score was Sharks 50-Justice 8. New York's defense was aggressive all night and prevented Jersey from scoring or even getting close. Except for the one mistake, New York was firing on all cylindars. Holloman being the big offensive star rushing for 268 yards with 3 touchdowns scored. But while the win kept the Sharks record unblemished, they have only a week to get ready for a big game against the divisional rival Pittsburgh Passion. The Passion are only 1 game behind the Sharks in the standings and the Sharks will need a win to help bolster their chances for the playoffs.
The New York Sharks will host the Pittsburgh Passion next Saturday at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn. Kick-off will be at 3:30pm (EDT). If you cannot make it to the game, listen to Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell describe all of the action on WFNradio.
New York Sharks 23-14-13-0: 50
Jersey Justice 8-0-0-0: 8
First Quarter
NY - (11:15) Mulligan 1 yard run (McTamaney kick)
NJ - (09:11) Larsen 56 yard interception return (Busch run)
NY - (04:53) Smith 15 yard pass from Mulligan (Run failed)
NY - (03:42) Safety
NY - (02:53) Holloman 1 yard run (Blum pass from Mulligan)
Second Quarter
NY - (12:28) Holloman 20 yard run (Pass failed)
NY - (02:44) Bonds 29 yard pass from Mulligan (Holloman pass from Mulligan)
Third Quarter
NY - (13:36) Smith 63 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
NY - (03:58) Holloman 59 yard run (McTamaney kick
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Countdown to 100 - Sharks Greatest Games #4
Showtime
NBC Sports came over to the Sharks to film a short documentary on the team and on quarterback Karen Mulligan. It would be a 2-part series that they would show on their website. The game they picked to send their filming crew to could not have been better.
The Sharks were hosting the D.C. Divas on June 7, 2008. It was a very hot day in Brooklyn with the temperature in the 90's. The Sharks had never beaten the Divas up until that day, going 0-2 in 2007. Though the games were close New York came up on the short end of the stick twice.
The Sharks offense was spotty in the first half. Sometimes Mulligan was giving NBC highlight reel video with her passing game, but New York turnovers kept killing drives. On the Sharks first drive they started from their own 30-yard line and drove all the way down to the D.C. 1-yard line. But a botched pitchout turned the ball over to the visitors.
Throughout the whole game, the Sharks defense was in fine fashion as they consistently stopped any D.C. drive. After the turnover on the pitchout, the Sharks defense got the ball back as defensive back Toni Salvatore intercepted Divas' quarterback Allyson Hamlim's pass and returned the ball to the D.C. 9-yard line. From there Mulligan connected with Brooke McKinney for the score, giving New York the lead near the end of the first quarter. The extra point attempt was no good, but the score was Sharks 6-Divas 0.
In the second quarter, the Sharks' defense kept D.C. out of the endzone. A highlight was a big stop of the Divas' at the New York 4-yard line on fourth down. While the defense came up big, the offense did not. On the next play from scrimmage, Mulligan dropped back to pass from her own endzone and underthrew her pass. It was picked off by Latisha Perry-Guinn who ran it back for a touchdown. D.C. converted the 2-point conversion and now was in the lead 8-6.
The Divas' defense was playing well too. They were shutting down the Sharks running game and were soon rushing Mulligan every chance they got. As the half was coming to an end, Mulligan was sacked and layed on the ground for a minute. She was able to walk off the field but the rest of the half was completed with Adrienne Smith as quarterback.
In the second half, Mulligan was back at the helm of the Sharks' offense but it did not look good at first. She fumbled the football to the Divas at the New York 42-yard line. The Divas again marched the ball down the field, but the Sharks defense put up a stone wall when it needed to. D.C. got the ball down to the New York 4-yard line before hitting running back Rachelle Pecovsky-Bentley with a 4-yard loss. An incomplete pass on fourth down followed and the defense held.
On the Divas very next possession they again moved the ball all the way down to the Sharks' 1-yard line. It was inconceivable to think that New York could deny D.C. for a third time with the ball less than 10 yards away from paydirt, but the Sharks defense did it again. The defensive line broke through and tackled Claudia Hogan behind the line of scrimmage for a loss but before she went down, she fumbled the football and New York recovered.
There was only 4 minutes left in the game when the Sharks offense took over the ball at their own 46-yard line. The offense had been sputtering for most of the second half as Mulligan was bothered by the Divas rushing the quarterback. But with the pressure on, Mulligan completed 3 passes to Lisa Doran to move the ball down to the Divas' 24-yard line. After 2 incomplete passes, it was now fourth down and 1 yard to go for a first down. With NBC filming, you had to wonder if they were going to have a Cinderella finish or another tough loss for New York.
Mulligan lined up in shotgun, but as soon as she got the ball she ran to her left and just got the 1 yard necessary to move the chains. It was now first down on the Divas' 23-yard line but now there was less than 2 minutes left in the game. Mulligan then hit McKinney in the middle of the field with 2 defenders on her for an 11-yard gain. On the next play, the Sharks hit paydirt as Doran caught a Mulligan pass at the 5-yard line and fought off 2 defenders for the go ahead score.
The Sharks went for the 2-point conversion and were successful as Mulligan rolled out to her right and hit Anabele Rodriguez for 2 points. This gave the Sharks for good by the score of 14-8.
It was a very exciting game and one that seemed too good to be true for the NBC film crew. Not only was it an exciting come from behind victory for the home team with less than 2 minutes left against a division rival, but the highlighted person in the feature was injured, taken off the field but then comes back to throw the winning score. It had unbelievable Hollywood script written all over it, yet it did happen.
For more details on the game, visit the Sharks' gameday write-up.
Next week at #3, Frantic Finish.
Game Day: Crushers @ Sharks
Brooklyn, New York, April 24, 2010This was no time to have a let down. The Connecticut Crushers (0-3) had yet to get a win and the New York Sharks (3-0) were coming off an exciting and emotional win over the D.C. Divas. With division rivals Boston Militia and Pittsburgh Passion battling each other, this was a time that the Sharks could get a firmer hold in the playoff race.
Like the game against D.C., the Sharks came out throwing. On the Sharks first drive, quarterback Karen Mulligan tried to throw the ball one every play. Twice the Sharks were helped by Crusher penalties and one other time, she was sacked. But for the other times she connected with Lauren Pringle for 23 yards and then to Adrienne Smith in the endzone for 16 more yards. Mulligan then hit Chante Bonds for the 2-point conversion and New York was ahead 8-0 with 11 minutes left in the quarter.
Connecticut started the game trying to get their running attack going. Running back Amanda Zabel carried the bulk of the load and she was able to make some very nice runs. On the Crushers second drive of the game, Zabel had a nifty 21 yard gain that brough the ball deep into New York territory at the 33-yard line. They kept giving her the ball but she was finally stopped just short a first down of the 23-yard line on the fourth down play.
With the Sharks' defense getting the ball back to the offense, they were re-paid with a short rest. Mulligan threw a short pass to Bonds who caught the ball at the 32-yard line. She then broke a tackle and streaked down the field for a touchdown. Mulligan then handed the ball off to Bonds on the 2-point conversion and she easily ran it into the endzone. This made the score New York 16- Connecticut 0.
The Sharks were having more success in stopping Zabel and that forced the Crushers to open things up by going to the air. For the most part quarterback Kristin Fillian was under pressure in the first half and completed only a few passes. Meanwhile for the Sharks, Mulligan was throwing on almost every down but was not connecting. The game soon turned into a trading of punts back and forth to each other.
Late in the second quarter Fillian hit receiver Denise Denis twice for gains of 14 and 10 yards. Connecticut made it to the Sharks' 35-yard line before the New York defense came up big again. This time Hannah Williams intercepted an errant pass and ran the ball back 73 for a touchdown. She had to break 2 tackles before she hit paydirt but she made it all the way to make the score 22-0. With the regular placekicker Megan Antonucci out for today's game, linesman Celeste Robinson put on her kicking shoes. Unfortunately the snap bounced away from Smith and she had to loft the ball into the endzone. The pass was tipped away from Melodie Abrook and fell to the ground making the score 28-0.
Things continued to get worse for Connecticut despite there being only 5 minutes left in the half. After another stop by the Sharks defense, Kathy Holloman entered the New York backfield for the first time in the game. Mulligan from the shot gun position on New York's own 29-yard line tossed the ball to Holloman 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage, from there she used her speed and motored down the left side line for a 71-yard touchdown. And it didn't stop there.
Right after the kick-off, Fillian got a strong rush by Lakisha Grant. The Crusher quarterback tried to throw the ball away but Cheri Eleazer was at the Sharks' 45-yard line and intercepted the pass. She then ran it back all the way into the endzone. Robinson's extra point attempt was no good, but at the end of the first half, the Sharks had a very comfortable 34-0 lead.
The second half of the game was more or less the same on offense by New York. The Sharks scored 4 more times with 2 of the scores on plays of over 50 yards each. Bonds caught a pass down the middle of the field and used her speed to stay away from any tacklers. Holloman had the other long touchdown with a handoff that went up the middle. She hit a second gear and ran the ball in for a 53 yard touchdown run. Later in the game she had another run of 63 yards into the endzone. This was almost identical but a penalty by the Sharks brought the play back. The penalty was for a block in the back that wouldn't have made a difference on the play but it called back the score. The other 2 scores were on passes of only 35 and 8 yards.
With all of this quick scoring, time did not run off the clock at a quick pace. This gave Connecticut 7 times the opportunity to put together a drive and twice they did. Both were helped by New York mistakes. One was a breakdown on Sharks' special teams play on a kick-off. Denis returned the ball to the New York 35-yard line. She then caught a high lob pass from Fillian. Toni Salvatore tried to knock the ball down but Denis outjumped her for the ball and she was able to run down to the Sharks 6- yard line. From there Zabel bulldozed her way to the 1-yard line. Fillian called her own number on the next play for the Crusher's first score of the game.
Connecticut scored one more time late in the fourth quarter. This time it was helped by a horse collar penalty that moved the ball down to the Sharks' 41-yard line. With the Sharks in a prevent defense, the Crushers took advantage with passes to Jennifer Davis and Denis for 15 and 14 yards apiece. Connecticut then went to some razzle dazzle and picked up another 12 yards on a reverse to Davis. Zabel then punched the ball in from the 1-yard line for the touchdown.
The game finally ended with the Crushers threatening again with the ball on the Sharks 27-yard line, but Williams got her second interception of the day. The final score, Sharks 65-Crushers 14.
The New York Sharks kept their record umblemished but so did the Boston Militia as they both battle it out for supremacy of the North Atlantic Division. The Sharks will cross the Hudson River next week to take on the undefeated New Jersey Justice. Kick-off time is 7:00pm (EDT). If you cannot make it to the game, listen to Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell describe all of the action on WFNradio.
Connecticut Crushers 0-0-6-8: 14New York Sharks 16-18-18-7: 65
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
NY - (11:01) Smith 16 yard pass from Mulligan (Bonds pass from Mulligan)
NY - (06:45) Bonds 76 yard pass from Mulligan (Bonds run)
Second Quarter
NY - (05:29) Williams 77 yard interception return (Pass failed)
NY - (02:22) Holloman 71 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
NY - (02:04) Eleazer 45 yard interception return (Kick failed)
Third Quarter
NY - (13:38) Bonds 58 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
NY - (09:14) Holloman 53 yard run (Kick failed)
CT - (05:52) Fillian 1 yard run (Run failed)
NY - (02:21) Smith 27 yard pass from Mulligan (Kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
NY - (13:52) Blum 30 yard pass from Mulligan (Robinson Kick)
CT - (08:37) Zabel 1 yard run (Zabel run)
NY - (03:04) Pringle 8 yard pass from Smith (Kick failed)
CABOT CREAMERY Player of the Week (3)
Cheri Eleazer was named the CABOT CREAMERY Playerof the Week by New York Sharks broadcasters Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell for week 3. Eleazer intercepted 2 Connecticut passes and returned one 45 yards for a score.
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