NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Cleveland Gladiators

Gladiators Eliminated from Playoffs by Soul, 47-35

August 15, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Cleveland Gladiators News Release


Four turnovers forced by the Philadelphia Soul defense led to the Cleveland Gladiators suffering a 47-35 loss in the quarterfinal round of the Arena Football League Playoffs Saturday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Collin Taylor led the way for the Gladiators offense, posting 13 catches for 137 yards and three touchdowns in the defeat. Dominick Goodman returned to the Gladiators lineup and registered a pair of receiving touchdowns after missing last week's regular season finale due to injury.

The Gladiators bolted out to a 14-13 lead through one quarter. Gladiators starting quarterback Shane Austin engineered an opening drive that traveled 45 yards over 5:07 of game time to give the Gladiators a 7-0 lead; Taylor notched a 23-yard touchdown catch to give the Gladiators an early lead. Philadelphia answered with a touchdown, but missed the extra point try, leaving the Gladiators with a one-point lead. On the Gladiators second drive, Taylor was the recipient of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Austin with 2:37 left in the opening frame. Philadelphia answered with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Kauleinamoku, pulling the Soul to within a point and leaving the Gladiators lead at 14-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Soul executed a surprise onside kick that led to a Tommy Frevert field goal from 24 yards. Frevert's first of two successful field goals in the game gave the Soul a 16-14 lead, and Philadelphia never surrendered their advantage. The Soul outscored the Gladiators 17-0 in the second quarter en route to a 30-14 halftime lead.

Philadelphia took the ball to start the second half, and with 13:36 left in the third quarter extended their lead to 37-14 on a 29-yard touchdown pass by Dan Raudabaugh to Marco Thomas. The Gladiators fought back when Austin found Taylor again on a 22-yard touchdown pass over the middle of the field with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter; the play helped the Gladiators pull to within 16 points, making the score 37-21 in Philadelphia's favor.

The Gladiators outscored the Soul 14-10 in the fourth quarter, but were unable to erase the deficit before falling 47-35. Dominick Goodman hauled in a pair of touchdowns- one from four yards with 4:04 remaining, and one from three yards with 1:17 left to play- but Philadelphia took over possession and managed to occupy the duration of the game.

NOTES: The Gladiators knocked Philadelphia from the playoffs in the opening round in 2014... In 2015, Philadelphia won all three regular season matchups between the two teams before taking the playoff matchup on Saturday... The Gladiators outgained Philadelphia 239 to 215 in total yards despite the loss... Chris Dieker entered the game at quarterback for the Gladiators in the fourth quarter and completed nine of 11 passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns... Terrance Sanders returned from injury for the Gladiators and intercepted a pass; he also led the Gladiators in tackles with 6.5 in the game... Follow the Gladiators on Twitter @CLEGladiators, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clevelandgladiators, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/clevelandgladiators.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...

Arena Football League Stories from August 15, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central