D'Orazio is D'Man
July 14, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
SOUL ARE NATIONAL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
The Philadelphia Soul defeated the Cleveland Gladiators, 70-35, to win the National Conference Championship on Saturday, July 12. The win marks the first conference title for Philadelphia in the franchise's five year history. The Soul dominated the Gladiators from the start, jumping out to a 28-7 lead in the second quarter. The Soul held Cleveland scoreless in the fourth quarter and secured their spot in the Virgin Mobile ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans. The Soul's offense was sparked by, AFLWA Player of the Year, QB Matt D'Orazio.
SOUL WILL FACE DEFENDING CHAMP SAN JOSE
The San Jose SaberCats are looking to become the first back-to-back ArenaBowl champions since the Tampa Bay Storm in 1995, but the Soul are ready to take on the challenge. Earlier this season, the Soul defeated San Jose 58-57, the Soul are 1-2 all-time against the SaberCats. The ArenaBowl XXII will be played on July 27th in New Orleans at 3pm.
POST-SEASON FOR D'ORAZIO
The post-season is treating Matt D'Orazio very well. In the last two games he 37-of-57 passing for 442 yards with 14 touchdowns. D'Orazio has a 7-1 all-time record in the post-season, having also led the Chicago Rush to an ArenaBowl XX victory in 2006.
TEAM PRESENTS TROPHY TO BON JOVI
The Philadelphia Soul will travel to New York City tomorrow to present owner Jon Bon Jovi with the Soul's first National Conference Championship trophy during Bon Jovi's concert at Madison Square Garden.
WHAT'S UP TODAY The team is off today and tomorrow and will attend film sessions on Wednesday. They will resume practicing Thursday through Saturday.
HE SAID IT Coach Munsey on Mike Brown, "The guy plays 100 mph. He's a fan favorite, a coach favorite, and a player favorite. You feel good suiting up players like him."
AROUND THE LEAGUE
The following awards will be announced later this week: Ironman of the Year will be announced Tuesday, Champs Quarterback of the Year will be announced Wednesday, and the Al Lucas Hero Award will be announced Thursday. The Columbus Destroyers decided not to renew Head Coach Doug Kay's contract after finishing the season with a 3-13 record, they will announce their new head coach on Tuesday.
ARENABOWL XXII TICKETS AVAILABLE
Virgin Mobile Arena Bowl XXII tickets are available now. Log onto ticketmaster.com to purchase online or for more information on tickets call 888-PHIL-AFL.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 14, 2008
- OurSports Central Names AFL Players of the Week - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- Al Lucas Hero Team Honors Community All-Stars - AFL I
- Columbus Destroyers Re-Sign Six Players for 2009 Season - Columbus Destroyers
- OurSports Central Interview: Philadelphia Soul radio announcer Ari Wolfe - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- Foster Arenabowl Trophy to be Presented Next Sunday - AFL I
- D'Orazio is D'Man - Philadelphia Soul
- Soul And Sabercats Meet in ArenaBowl XXII - AFL I
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.
