Big 2nd Half Lifts Soul Over Portland, 59-38

Report From Philadelphia Soul

PORTLAND— The Philadelphia Soul (10-3) defeated the Portland Steel (1-11), with the score 59-38 in front of 4,468 fans at the Moda Center in Portland, OR on Monday evening.

“We started off slow and made some mistakes in the first half,” said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. “Once we came back out for the second half, the team played strong on both sides of the ball. Big plays on defense and turnovers help set our offense up for success and that is what we did tonight.”

Soul WR and J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game, Shaun Kauleinamoku led the receivers with nine receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. WR Ryan McDaniel added five receptions for 48 yards and two touchdowns and FB Jeramie Richardson tallied nine rush attempts for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Steel WR Rashaad Carter led the receivers with eight receptions for 71 yards and three touchdowns.

Philadelphia QB and Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game, Dan Raudabaugh completed 19-of-33 passes for 217 yards and five touchdowns. Steel QB Shane Austin completed 20-of-39 passes for 171 yards and four touchdowns.

The Steel won the coin toss and elected to kick off to the Soul. Raudabaugh quickly found SK in the end-zone for a 24-yard touchdown and the Soul took the lead, 7-0. The Steel put six on the board when Austin connected with Carter for a Steel touchdown. The kick was good and with 8:55 to play in the first quarter, the Soul were tied 7-7. Jeramie Richardson found his first touchdown of the night with a 1-yard run, giving the Soul the lead 14-7. Austin responded with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Carter. The kick was good and again the score was tied, 14-14 with 2:54 remaining in the first quarter. Raudabaugh’s quick 13-yard touchdown pass to McDaniel gave the Soul the lead at the end of the first quarter, with the score 21-14.

The Steel started off the second quarter with a 5-yard pass from Austin to Carter to tie up the game once again. Another milestone for SK was reached as he caught his 100th career touchdown on a 11-yard pass from Raudabaugh. Kick was good and with 8:56 remaining in the first half, the Soul led 28-21. Austin responded with a 3-yard pass to Nick Truesdell for another Steel touchdown. Kick was good and the game was again tied 28-28 with 6:02 left in the first half. Back-to-back turnovers on downs gave the Soul the ball and Raudabaugh’s pass was blocked and intercepted by Shaine Boyle, giving the Steel the ball with no time left. Lacayo’s field goal was good and at the end of the first half, the Soul trailed 31-28.

To kick-off the second half, Austin’s pass was intercepted by Tracy Belton. The Soul capitalized on this with a 7-yard pass from Raudabaugh to McDaniel for his second touchdown of the night. Kick was good and with 5:20 to play in the third quarter, the Soul led 35-31. Austin’s pass attempt was blocked and recovered by Sean Daniels for a Soul touchdown and the team widened the margin, 42-31. On the next play, Austin’s pass was again intercepted by Tracy Belton, giving the Soul possession once again. At the end of the third quarter, the Soul led 42-31.

A 34-yard field goal by Tommy Frevert gave the Soul three more points to start off the quarter of play. Another turnover on downs gave the Soul the ball once again. Raudabaugh used this and connected with Money for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The kick was good and with 4:10 to play, the Soul remained in the lead, 52-31. Austin’s fourth interception of the night was caught by James Romain and the Soul offense reacted with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Jeramie Richardson. Kick was good and with 50 seconds left in the game, the Soul led 59-31. In a final attempt by the Steel, Shaine Boyle retuned Frevert’s kick for a touchdown. The final score was 59-38.

Next week, the Soul will have their first bye week of the 2016 season. Following bye week, the Soul will host the Cleveland Gladiators at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA on Saturday, July 9. Kick-off set for 6 p.m.

Under Armour Offensive Player: Philadelphia QB Dan Raudabaugh
Riddell Defensive Player: Philadelphia DB Tracy Belton
J Lewis Small AFL Playmaker: Philadelphia WR Shaun Kauleinamoku
Cutter’s Catch of the Game: Portland WR Rashaad Carter’s 18-yard catch in the first quarter
AFL Highlight of the Game: Philadelphia DL Sean Daniels’ interception for touchdown in third quarter