Game Preview: Soul Look to Calm the Storm
May 21, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (May 19, 2015) - The Philadelphia Soul (7-1) look to bounce back in Week 9 after their first loss of the season against the Jacksonville Sharks (3-5). The Soul will face the Tampa Bay Storm in their back-to-back road game series on Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Amaile Arena.
The Soul battled injuries in last Saturday's game and lost to the Sharks 55-47. FB Tommy Taggart and DB Dwayne Hollis have been moved to inactive reserve and OL Keith Newell has been moved to injured reserve. As a whole, the Soul will first have to be prepared to stop Tampa Bay QB Jason Boltus. Boltus is third in the AFL for passing yards and has a total of 43 touchdowns for the season.
The first match-up to look for in the game is Soul DB James Romain up against Storm WR T.T. Toliver. Toliver has 20 touchdowns for the season and is fourth overall in the League in receiving yards. Romain leads the team in interceptions with five and has 20.5 total tackles for the season. The Soul will also rely on defensive asset LaRico Stevenson to stop the Storm offense who leads the team with 40.0 total tackles for the season.
Storm DB Alfred Phillips and Soul WR Marco Thomas will be another top match-up. Phillips leads Tampa Bay with 48.0 total tackles and is third in the AFL in tackles. Thomas is ranked third in the League with 834 receiving yards and has 16 touchdowns in the eight games played.
The Soul's offense should prove to be a bit of a challenge overall for the Storm. The next match-up to definitely keep an eye out for is Soul WR Shaun Kauleinamoku against Storm DB Rick-J Hill. Hill is second in Tampa Bay's tackle leaders with 36.0 for the season. Kauleinamoku is coming off a strong string of games and has 15 touchdowns for the season. Thomas and Kauleinamoku have scored at least one touchdown in each Soul game they have played in this season. Aside from the core wide receiver's, the Storm should be ready for Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh. Raudabaugh leads the league in passing yards with 2,337 and has a league high of 55 total touchdowns.
In Week 10, the Soul will host their first ever Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City against the Las Vegas Outlaws on Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m. in Boardwalk Hall. There are numerous events happening before and after the Boardwalk Bowl for fans and the general public to take part in.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...
Arena Football League Stories from May 21, 2015
- Shock Assigned Rookie Defensive Lineman Simpson - Spokane Shock
- Thunder QB Thomas Named Week 8 AFL MVP - Portland Thunder
- Thunder QB Thomas Named Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week - Portland Thunder
- Game Preview: Soul Look to Calm the Storm - Philadelphia Soul
- Jacksonville heads to New Orleans for Saturday showdown - Jacksonville Sharks
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.
