Soul Come Up Short In The Windy City, 54-43
Published on April 30, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
ROSEMONT, IL - The Philadelphia Soul (4-4) got off to a good start against the defending ArenaBowl Champion Chicago Rush (7-1), but could not hold the lead late as they dropped their fourth game in a row, 54-43.
Soul quarterback Juston Wood started the game by fumbling the opening-drive snap, yet rebounded by completing 14-of-16 passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the first half. The second half was a different story for Wood, as he would only go 13-of-26 with three interceptions and two touchdowns threw the air.
Chicago quarterback Matt D'Orazio began the game getting the Rush on the board first after he took the snap and dove into the endzone from one yard out to give the Rush the lead, 7-0. From there, Wood would go on a tear, hooking up with four different receivers for five touchdowns. The Soul went into the locker room with a 34-20 lead.
The second half seemed to be a reverse of the first half, as D'Orazio would complete three touchdown passes, two to Offensive Player of the Game Bobby Sippio and one to Rob Mager.
Late in the fourth quarter, Wood scored on an 11-yard quarterback keeper with 11:27 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Philadelphia a 43-34 advantage. It turned out to be the last score the Soul would have as the Rush recorded 20 unanswered points to bring the final score to 54-43.
The Rush were led by Sippio who hauled in 15 passes for 178 yards and three scores, including a victory-sealing 33-yard grab from D'Orazio with 0:31 seconds left in the game.
D'Orazio was a steady force for the Rush completing 30-of-41 pass attempts for 336 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
For the Soul, wide receiver Charles Pauley finished the night with 11 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also had 127 yards on kick returns to go along with a 12-yard missed field goal return totaling 253 all-purpose yards.
Philadelphia's defensive-line proved to be solid on the night as they put constant pressure on D'Orazio while tallying two sacks and four tackles for losses.
Wood finished the night going 27-of-42 for 308 yards with five scores despite three interceptions.
Fun! Family! Football! The Soul return home to face the Kansas City Brigade on Saturday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wachovia Center. Single game tickets for the Soul's 2007 season are on sale now. For more information call (888) PHIL-AFL or log on to www.philadelphiasoul.com. The Soul are entering their fourth season in the AFL and in their three seasons they have sold out 93% of the venue while drawing a League best 387,491 fans combined.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 30, 2007
- Soul Come Up Short In The Windy City, 54-43 - Philadelphia Soul
- Rush Rallies For Seventh Straight Win - Chicago Rush
- Destroyers look to bounce back against Eastern Division rival Dragons - Columbus Destroyers
- Austin Makes Personnel Moves, Addresses Injuries, Prepares for Tampa Bay - Austin Wranglers
- AFL declares May as AFL Youth Football Month - AFL I
- Rush Head Coach Mike Hohensee To Coach Tonight Vs. Philadelphia - Chicago Rush
- Destroyers Fall To Storm, Lose 34-32 - Columbus Destroyers
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