Barnstormers Fall to Green Bay in OT, 71-65
June 14, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Iowa Barnstormers News Release
DES MOINES -- In a game billed as the franchise's biggest since their return to Arena Football in last season, the Iowa Barnstormers dropped a heart-breaking 71-65 overtime contest to the Green Bay Blizzard before a crowd of 9,269 fans at Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Field. Both teams now possess matching 6-4 records on the season and are tied for the American Conference Midwest Division lead.
Green Bay opened the scoring with a quick 25 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gino Guidugli to wide out Terry Love to take the early lead at 7-0. Iowa was quick to answer when Errick McCown scampered in from ten yards out to tie the game at 7-7. Green Bay jumped ahead by ten until Iowa's Tim Dodge cut the lead to20-17 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with a Guidugli touchdown run, but Iowa again responded with a score as quarterback Brian Villanueva found a wide open Dodge for the touchdown narrowing Green Bay's lead to 26-24. After another round of trading scores, the Blizzard closed out the first half with a 43-38 lead on the strength of a Bob Forstrom field goal.
The Barnstormers and most notably Dodge did not go away quietly as the veteran receiver returned the second half's opening kickoff for his sixth return touchdown of the season. The Barnstormers' controlled most of the second half as the duo of Villanueva and Dodge connected for two more scores. A late Blizzard rally saw Green Bay score 15 unanswered points in the game's three minutes to tie the game at 65-65 at the end of regulation.
On Green Bay's first drive in overtime, Guidugli found the newest member of the Blizzard, Phillip Brock in the back of the endzone to take the lead at 71-65. Iowa had an opportunity to tie or win the game outright on the ensuing possession but Green Bay's Robert Garth picked off a Villanueva pass to seal the game and give the Blizzard a share of the Midwest Division lead.
The Barnstormers enjoy a bye week and then head to Texas for a June 27 road contest in contest in Amarillo until returning home for a July 4 match-up with the currently undefeated Spokane Shock.
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