Philadelphia Soul Suffer First Loss of Season
May 11, 2019 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA, PA - With first place on the line, the Philadelphia Soul (2-1) fell to the Albany Empire 57-48 (3-0) in front of a crowd of 9,843 at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night. In a back-and-forth game, the defense was unable to stop the 2018 league MVP Tommy Grady, who completed 82% of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns.
SCORE BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 FINAL
ALBANY 14 14 14 15 57
PHILADELPHIA 7 13 14 14 48
Led by Grady and top target Malachi Jones, the Empire scored a touchdown on every possession. While the Soul never held a lead, they remained within striking distance late in the game.
Trailing by nine with just under nine minutes left to play, the Soul pulled within one after quarterback Dan Raudabaugh found receiver Lonnie Outlaw for his third score of the night and then connected with Darius Prince on the two-point conversion. The five-play, 38-yard drive took four minutes off the clock, forcing the team to attempt an onside kick which was recovered by Albany and returned for a touchdown. Grady then found Jones on the two-point conversion to put the Empire up 57-48 and seal the victory.
The loss spoiled an impressive performance by Outlaw, who recorded a career-high 191 receiving yards and three touchdowns. It was the 10th 100-yard receiver allowed by the Empire in team history and the sixth to a Soul player. Raudabaugh finished with 309 yards and 6 touchdowns, while completing 21 of 34 passes in the defeat.
Next up, the Soul travel to Washington to take on the defending ArenaBowl Champions on May 18 at 3:30 pm.
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Arena Football League Stories from May 11, 2019
- Philadelphia Soul Suffer First Loss of Season - Philadelphia Soul
- Valor Defeat Blackjacks in Season Home Opener 41-34 - Washington Valor
- Blackjacks Come up One Score Short against the Valor - Atlantic City Blackjacks
- Empire Defeat Soul to Remain Unbeaten - Albany Empire
- Baltimore Improves to 2-1 in Victory against Columbus 48-30 - Baltimore Brigade
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