Late Rally Falls Short as Predators Beat Soul

Report From Philadelphia Soul

ORLANDO – The Philadelphia Soul (10-2) suffered a 45-42 loss to the Orlando Predators (7-5) in front of 10,473 fans in Orlando at the Amway Center Saturday night.

“We had our opportunities but didn’t cash them in,” Soul head coach Clint Dolezel said. “You can’t start off slow, turn the ball over that many times and expect to win against a good team like Orlando. Bottom line is that we have to play better, period.”

Marco Thomas led the Soul receivers with 13 catches for 138 yards and four touchdowns.  Ryan McDaniel added five catches for 57 yards and one touchdown.  Lonnie Outlaw had five receptions for 66 yards, while Shaun Kauleinamoku chipped in with four receptions for 29 yards. Tommy Taggart added 19 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Dan Raudabaugh finished the night by completing 28-of-39 passes for 296 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.  Orlando’s Bernard Morris completed 17-of-32 passes for174 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Larry Brackins led the Orlando receivers with six receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown, while Brandon Thompkins added four catches for 32 yards and one touchdown.

Kent Richardson and LaRico Stevenson both led the team with 8.0 total tackles and one interception each. James Romain also added 6.0 total tackles.

After losing the toss, the Soul received the ball at the start of the game. With 10:05 left in the first quarter, Raudabaugh’s pass to Thomas was fumbled and recovered by Predators’ Nick Taylor.  Morris found Brandon Thompkins for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Orlando the lead 7-0 with 5:50 left in the first quarter.  In the Soul’s second possession, Kauleinamoku fumbled the ball, giving the Predators another first down. Morris responded with an interception in the end-zone by Stevenson, giving the Soul a first down with 3:58 left in the quarter.  Raudabaugh found Thomas for a 34-yard touchdown and with the blocked kick, the Soul trail the Predators 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.

The Predators scored within the first minute of the second quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Morris to Brackins. The kick was a good and with 14:42 remaining in the half, the Predators lead 14-6.  The Soul quickly answered when Raudabaugh completed a pass to McDaniel for a 3-yard touchdown, with the Soul still trailing 14-13 with 10:33 left in the half.  Morris responded with a 32-yard touchdown run and the Predators continued the lead 21-13 with 8:35 left in the half.  The Soul responded with a successful pass by Raudabaugh to Thomas for another Soul touchdown and with 23 seconds leftt in the half, the Soul trail 21-20. The Predators’ Brandon Tompkins returned the kick-off for a Predator touchdown with 16 seconds left.  The The Soul started off the third quarter onside kick recovered by Romain.  Raudabaugh’s pass was intercepted by Orlando’s Issac and the Predators started with the ball with 13:15 left in the third quarter.  Morris then scrambled for a 12-yard touchdown and with 10:08 left in the quarter, the Soul trailed, 35-20.  The Soul responded with a 13-yard touchdown by Thomas and at the end of the third quarter, the Soul still trailed 35-27.

The Predators started off the fourth quarter with a made field goal, giving them a 38-27 lead over the Soul.  The Soul then pushed back right away when Raudabaugh connected with Taggart for a 6-yard touchdown run and extra two points by Adam Smith.  With 12:02 left in the game, the Soul trailed 38-36.  An interception by Kent Richardson gave the Soul control with 9:25 left in the game. Raudabaugh found Thomas for a 14-yard touchdown and with 4:54 remaining in the game, the Soul took control of the game, leading 42-38.  Morris responded quickly with a 3-yard touchdown run, giving the Predators the lead again and at the end of the game, the Soul fell 45-42.

Next week, the Soul travel to face the Los Angeles KISS for the their first-ever meeting at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA on Saturday, June 20. The game will kick off at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT)

Russell Athletic Offensive Player: Orlando’s Bernard Morris

Riddell Defensive Player:  Orlando’s Rod Issac

J Lewis Small AFL Playmaker: Orlando’s Brandon Thompkins

Cutter’s Catch of the Game: Philadelphia’s Marco Thomas fourth quarter touchdown catch over the wall

Spalding Highlight of the Game: Orlando’s Bernard Morris 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter