Philly Loses in Last Minute for Third Consecutive Game
April 15, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA - In their first home game in 1,008 days, the Philadelphia Soul fell to the Tampa Bay Storm 51-48 after Storm kicker Kyle Chilton hit a 30-yard game-winning field goal with no time remaining, in front of 12,893 fans on Friday night.
The pre-game activities culminated with the long-awaited unfurling of the Soul's 2008 Arena Bowl XXII Championship banner in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center. The last time the Soul played in Philadelphia was on July 12, 2008 when they defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 70-35 to become National Conference champions and advance to the Arena Bowl.
The first quarter was mired by 11 combined penalties, but quarterback Ryan Vena was able to rush for a nine-yard score, which gave the Soul a 7-0 lead with 10:16 remaining in the opening quarter. A series of penalties allowed the Storm to tie the game when Grant Gregory connected with Hank Edwards on a three-yard touchdown pass with 5:58 left in the first.
In an offensive minded game, special teams would prove to be the deciding factor. Following touchdowns by both teams, which would have tied the game at 14 with 2:18 left in the first quarter, Chilton's extra point attempt hit the upright giving the Soul a 14-13 lead, a lead which they would hold until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
The second quarter mimicked the first, with both teams trading touchdowns, though the Soul entered the locker room with a 28-26 lead at the half.
The Soul defense shut down the Storm in the third quarter, allowing the visitors only one first down and 30 offensive yards in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Soul broke open their lead to 41-26 after Vena hit Syvelle Newton and Donovan Morgan with 16 and 11-yard touchdown passes, respectively.
The fourth quarter proved to be pure Arena Football. The Storm rallied to 34-41 after Eric Ortiz ran for a one-yard touchdown followed by a two-point Edwards conversion to bring the Storm within seven.
Tampa Bay's Erick McIntosh provided the pivotal play in the game when he intercepted Vena with 3:45 left in the game, putting the Storm at the Soul 24-yard line, which setup Edwards four-yard touchdown reception to give the Storm a 48-41 lead, their first lead of the game.
The Soul rallied to tie the score at 48 with 46 seconds left in the game after Vena connected with Newton for a 33-yard touchdown catch, but the tie would not last long, as Gregory drove the Storm to the Soul 20-yard line and set up Chilton's game winning 30-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.
The Soul fall to 1-4 on the season while the Storm improve to 2-3. The Soul will travel to San Jose next Friday to take on the SaberCats in their first meeting since ArenaBowl XXII where the Soul won 59-56. The game will be televised live on WMCN at 10:30 p.m.
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Arena Football League Stories from April 15, 2011
- Shock suffer heartbreaking defeat in Utah - Spokane Shock
- Utah picks up First Divisional Victory - Utah Blaze
- Philly Loses in Last Minute for Third Consecutive Game - Philadelphia Soul
- Storm Defeat Soul, 51-48 - Tampa Bay Storm
- Pittsburgh Power Takes on Jacksonville Sharks - Pittsburgh Power
- Sharks Take on Power Saturday - Jacksonville Sharks
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