Soul Top Storm in Regular season Finale
August 6, 2017 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA- The Philadelphia Soul (13-1) defeated the Tampa Bay Storm (10-4), with the final score of 41-28 in front of 9,071 fans at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.
"I'm happy we ended the regular season with a win," said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. "We thank our fans for all of the support this season and look forward to the playoffs next weekend."
Soul WR Darius Reynolds led the receivers with seven receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. WR Ryan McDaniel added six receptions for 68 yards and WR Shaun Kauleinamoku tallied four receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. Tampa Bay WR Joe Hills recorded seven receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown.
Philadelphia QB Dan Raudabaugh completed 12-of-15 passes for 145 yards and one touchdown. QB Luke Collis completed 6-of-11 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa Bay QB Randy Hippeard completed 2-of-7 passes for 45 yards while QB Chris Bonner recorded 15-of-26 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns.
The Tampa Bay Storm won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. On the Soul's first drive of the night, Raudabaugh handed off to FB Mykel Benson for a one-yard touchdown. Trevino's PAT was good and the Soul took a 7-0 lead. The Storm were unable to complete a first down and the Soul gained possession as the first quarter ended with the Soul out on top, 7-0.
Raudabaugh kicked off the second quarter with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Kauleinamoku and the Soul remained in the lead, 14-0. The Storm added seven to the board when Bonner found Hilton for a 41-yard touchdown. With 12:14 to play in the first half, the Soul kept their lead 14-7. Benson ran in his second touchdown of the night but the extra point was no good. With 8:20 to play in the half, the Soul led 20-7. The Storm responded with an 8-yard pass from Bonner to Hills and with 3:12 to play in the half, the Soul remained in the lead, 20-14. With a one-yard rushing touchdown by Raudabaugh, the Soul finished the first half with the score, 27-14.
The Soul kicked off to start the second half. Bonner's pass was tipped and intercepted by Soul DB Kent Richardson. The Soul capitalized when Soul QB Luke Collis connected with Reynolds for a 15-yard touchdown. Kick was good and with 12:41 in the third quarter, the Soul remained in the lead, 34-14. Storm WR LaMark Brown caught his first touchdown of the night on a 17-yard pass from Bonner. The Soul ended the third quarter, in the lead, 34-21. After a slow start to the fourth quarter, Collis found Reynolds for a 40-yard touchdown. Trevino's kick was good and with 3:48 to play in the game, the Soul led 41-21. In the final minute of play, Bonner connected with Ings for a 20-yard touchdown but was not enough to catch the Soul, with the final score 41-28.
The Soul will host the Baltimore Brigade (4-10) in Round 1 of the 2017 AFL Playoffs on Saturday, August 12 at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and 97.5 The Fanatic. Should the Soul defeat the Brigade next week, the team will host ArenaBowl XXX on Saturday, August 26th at the Wells Fargo Center. Kick-off set for 7 p.m.
Offensive Player of the Game: Soul FB Mykel Benson Defensive Player of the Game: Soul LB Beau Bell MVP of the Game: Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh
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Arena Football League Stories from August 6, 2017
- Soul Top Storm in Regular season Finale - Philadelphia Soul
- Storm Falls in Regular Season Finale - Tampa Bay Storm
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